Honey Filled Days
by Elias Cook
Summary: Hayashi Rika, from an elite family, formed a strong gang and fought others in middle school. When her parents found out, she was stripped of everything she loved: manga, martial arts, and her freedom. After years of pretending she'd changed, she enrols in Ouran for her last year and meets the Host Club who easily pry off her fake mask. She knows Kyoya? Honey's her idol? HoneyxOC
1. I meet weirdos, an old friend, and?

**Hi everyone! This is my very first fanfic so I hope you guys like it! Please review if you do! :D Or if you don't that'd be fine too. Oh and I won't be following the storyline. Characters are all the same, hopefully not too OOC. Hope you like it! **

**Names are in Japanese format: Last name, first name**

**Rated T for Rika's cussing.**

* * *

I'm Hayashi Rika, third year. My family owns a prestigious dessert company. We have several chain stores, from selling ice cream to cakes to cookies. We also have a well trained police force and a bookstore chain line along with a famous publishing company. A lot huh? That's cause my mom's side owned the bookstore and publishing company. My dad's side owned the dessert company. When they got married, they formed the police force. A weird mix huh?

When I was little, I took martial arts classes. I sometimes trained with the police force. Then right before middle school, a scandal occurred with the Hayashi Sweets. Employees were quitting. Employers were randomly firing people. It was chaotic, and my parents got their hands full with the scandals. When they tried to use the publishing company to clear it up, the Oshiro Press (my mom's last name) also got caught up in the scandal.

My older sis, Kimiko, was in her last year of middle school when I was in my last year of elementary. She went to Ouran High School. I took this chance to persuade my parents to send me to a public middle school. I told them that it'd get me out of their way and out of the public. They wouldn't have to worry about me or press coming to bother me. They agreed and sent me to a public middle school under a different surname.

Ah, those days were so fun! I found some misfits at the school and we created a gang. Yes, a gang! We went and fought other school gangs. And thanks to me, we always won. Not everyone in my gang could fight though. For the most part, it was just me, Akane, and Goofy. We were invincible!

I tried to keep the news of me fighting quiet. If my parents found out, I'd never be able to leave their sights again. I told my friends my situation. I bribed anybody who found out about me. Then, halfway through my last year of middle school, as the scandal was finally quieting down, the news of my gang slipped out.

My parents were furious. They stormed into our club room with some of their police force with them. They grabbed me and tossed me into the car and drove away.

They said it was Goofy that had reported to the principal. I never got a chance to ask him. I was dragged away before I could. But I don't think it was him. He knew that if my parents found out, I'd be gone. And he would never… ever… do something like that.

At least, that's what I thought.

I'm not sure if I still believe that. Am I just lying to myself? Ah, but who cares. I'll never see him again. Now, I've become a prim and proper young lady. I was immediately sent to an all-girls boarding school for the richies in Southern Japan. I stayed there for the remainder of my middle school. Then for two more years of high school.

I learned to not resist.

I acted the way they wanted me to. I was dainty and petite and pretty and quiet. I smiled a lot and spoke softly. I wore all the frilly and ugly dresses they wanted me to. I walked around with an umbrella to stay out of the sun. I did everything they wanted me to do.

But really, I was just biding my time. Once I was out of high school, I'd take the first chance to go study abroad. Kimiko-nee would probably take over the family companies anyway. I could find some business opportunity abroad and stay far away from my family. Forever.

I haven't fought in those two years and I can just feel my blood lust growing. Coupled with my short temper, and I knew I'd blow soon. Which would be bad, because I'd built up my ladylike figure for a while. Can't lose it now that I'm about to enter my last year of high school.

I got my parents to send me to a different high school. Finally! And it's not Lobelia, thank goodness. I'm going to Ouran.

Except… the hell is this?

Oh, excuse my language. I'm sorry, that really wasn't ladylike at all! Oh ho ho ho. Wtf? It's yellow, puffy, and…

"This is the school uniform?" I asked in my well practiced, sweet and soft voice.

My personal maid, Azumi, smiled and nodded. "Yes, Rika-sama. Isn't it cute?" Cute? It's absolutely hideous! I smiled back sweetly though inside I was ready to tear the ugly thing to shreds with my bare hands.

"I wouldn't say it's cute, Azumi, but it certainly is… special." I said.

"Why don't you try it on?" She replied. I sighed quietly.

"No thank you. I'm sure it'll be just fine." I handed it to Azumi. "I think I'll go out for a walk. I'd like to look at the neighborhood for a while."

"Yes. Be careful, Rika-sama. And don't forget your umbrella!"  
I sighed. Seriously who needs an effing umbrella to go walking? It's perfectly fine outside! I picked up the pink frilly umbrella anyway, checking out my clothes.

I was wearing a black skirt that fell almost to my knees and the least frilly white blouse I could find. Before the middle school incident, I could get away with jeans in the house but not anymore. My parents had my entire closet redone with nothing but skirts, dresses, and blouses. There are barely any t-shirts, hoodies, or sweatpants.

My shoulder-length black hair was in a ponytail tied up by my special red bow, with some strands falling out to frame my round face. I still have baby fat on my cheeks, plus I'm only five feet tall. It's not surprisingly that some people can't believe I'm already sixteen.

I opened the umbrella and headed outside. It was nice out, with the sun shining warmly. I walked down the long driveway and onto the well paved sidewalk. These richies probably repave the sidewalk every year. Or maybe every month or something stupid like that.

Next to our huge five-story mansion was a traditional Japanese home. What the hell is wrong with this neighborhood? Ah, excuse my language again. Actually, I don't care. Deal with it! My house is the modern kind but right next to it is a traditional one like this? What, do all the maids living there wear kimonos too?

A limo sped right past me, jerking to a stop in front of the house. What the… The door was flung open and a blond hopped out excitedly. After him came two twins with auburn hair and their arms around each other.

"Yay!" They shouted together. "We get to visit Haruhi today!"

What? I sighed continuing my walk, heading in their direction. Then another person came out of the limo, much calmer than the three before. He had short black hair and glasses and…

Wait. Kyoya?!

"K-Kyoya?" I shouted in shock. Ah! I clasped a hand over my mouth. I can't believe I just yelled so unladylike! I whipped my head around, trying to spot if anyone was following me. It didn't seem like it. I sighed in relief.

"Ah, Hayashi-san," Kyoya said with a smile. "It's been a while. How are you doing?"

I nodded, bowing slightly. "Good." I smiled. What a lie. "Wow. I haven't seen you in ages." I did my girly giggle that I'd also perfected while at the boarding school, by copying those idiots there. "How are you? Is your family doing well?"

"Yes. Of course. We're all well. Thank you for your concern." He pushed his glasses up rather ominously. Geez, this dummy hasn't changed at all! He's still so… himself. He probably thinks I've gone crazy or something. Even when I was younger, I never acted this girly. And I rarely wore skirts or dresses. They drive me crazy because they hinder my movements. "You seem to have changed, Hayashi-san. You've grown up to be a-"

"Who is this, Kyoya?" The blond suddenly interrupted, shoving Kyoya to the side. "Ah, what a beautiful princess." He took my hand and produced a rose from absolutely nowhere. "This amazing weather can not be compared to your beauty."

What lame and cheesy lines. He's such a faker. But I smiled kindly and took the rose from him.

"How sweet," I said, patting the blond's cheek. "And who might you be? A friend of Kyoya's?"

"Yes!" The blond shouted with a delighted grin. "I'm Suoh Tamaki! And, princess, who are you?"

I smiled. God, my mouth/face muscles are probably my strongest ones at this point. "Hayashi Rika. It's a pleasure to meet you, Suoh-san." Not. "I'll be continuing on my walk now. Have a nice day." I bowed and side stepped around Suoh-san.

"Hey, hey. You can't just leave-"

"Without meeting us, now can you?"

It was the two twins, who had intercepted my path to pass this house. They grinned at me mischievously, as if they could see through my fake mask. I just smiled at them pleasantly. "Of course not. And who are you two?" I asked with another stupid giggle.

"Kaoru Hitachiin." The one on the left said.

"Hikaru Hitachiin." The one on the right said.

"Why, that's great." I said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Now, if you will excuse me." I slid carefully between the two.

"Wait, Hayashi-hime!" That Suoh idiot shouted. "You can't leave yet! You haven't met the other two members!"

Oh my God. Is he serious? Do I look like I want to hang out with him? I was just here to take a stupid walk! I whipped around ready to glare him to death. Then I remembered: Ah, can't just start yelling. I'm not even sure if no one's following me.

So I gave him my greatest and brightest smile of all time. "Ah, Suoh-san." I walked over to him and pinched his cheek. "That's sweet of you to say, but I'd really like to continue my walk. I'm sure, over time, I'll get to know these other two members. Yes?"

"Y-Yes, Princess." He whimpered as I continued pinching his cheek. It probably hurt but whatever.

"And please don't call me princess, dear, Suoh-san." I said, keeping my smile. "Just what grade are you in, Suoh-san?"

"S-Second year," he replied. Geez, he was awfully pathetic. I let go of his cheek and smiled.

"My, Suoh-san. You're my junior then! I'm a third year. I hope to see you around tomorrow then!" I smiled then gave them all a sweet, dainty, perfect wave before walking away.

"Eh? Tama-chan, who's that?" A very childish voice asked loudly. I kept walking, pretending I couldn't hear them.

"Hayashi Rika," Kyoya replied calmly. Yes, yes. If Kyoya hadn't changed at all, then he could probably write a biography for me. Even when he was a little kid, he had that calm and calculating demeanour.

"Eh? But I want to meet her!" The kid said. Ah, so annoying. Was that one of their "members"? Members of what? The stupid and crazy club? I snorted at the thought.

"Takashi! Go!"

Huh?

Suddenly a tall guy was in front of me. Scratch that. Not a tall guy. A really, really tall guy! A tower! A tree!

"Eh?" I squeaked out. And on top of that tower was a tiny little kid with blond hair and carrying a pink bunny. What in the world. These people must be part of the circus or something? I smiled.

"And who are you?" I asked sweetly. The kid jumped off the tall dude's shoulder. Oh. He's shorter than me! Oh my God, he's shorter than me!

I giggled. Like seriously giggled. Not the phony girly one.

"You're shorter than me!" I couldn't help but say it. This had to be the kid. He stared at me with big brown eyes. Oh my God. He's adorable! I blushed. "You're cute! You're so cute!" Oh, I couldn't help it. I squealed like a fangirl. He looked like a little kid! Maybe he was.

"Ri-chan!" The kid suddenly shouted. I stared at him. What? Why was he talking to me so casually?

"How old are you?" I asked seriously.

"I'm seventeen!"

"What?"

"I'm Haninozuka Mitsukuni, but you can just call me Honey!" He continued to say in that overly cheerful and cute way. "And this Morinozuka Takashi but you can call him Mori!" He said, pointing to the tall dude behind him.

"A third year?" I asked weakly. He nodded enthusiastically.

"And this is Usa-chan!" He said, shoving the pink bunny into my arms. It was cute. It was really cute. Omg, I have a weak spot for cute things.

"C-Cute," I blushed, handing the bunny back. Then the kid's name finally got through my head. "Eh?! Haninozuka Mitsukuni?" I said, wide-eyed and pointing at the kid in front of me. "The one who won first place in the Martial Arts Tournament thingy when you were only nine years old?!"

He nodded with a super cute smile. Omg, he was my freaking idol! "Seriously? Holy crap, that's awesome!" Oh. No. I just said something very unladylike. I blushed again. "Sorry! I mean. My goodness!" I smiled sweetly again. "That is very amazing!"

Honey stared at me like I'd grown another head. "What did you just do?" he asked curiously. Ah! I blew it! I blew my cover! Nooooooooo!

"I'm sorry about that, Honey-san." I said. "It's really a pleasure to meet you." Like _really_. This time I actually am happy.

"You're Hayashi Rika right?" he asked. I nodded. God, how long had I spent with these guys already? "The one who won first place in the National Martial Arts Tournament when you were only eight years old?"

"Yes." I said with a nod and a smile. "But that was a girls tournament and it was really easy."

"Wow. You're amazing too!" He shouted, jumping up and down. I blushed. Wait, what? Why was I blushing.

"Thank you. But it was nothing. Girls are easy to pummel- ack! I mean, girls are easy to compete against. An all-boys tournament would be much more interesting and far more difficult, ne?"

"But you were only eight!" Honey said.

"Y-Yes, I suppose."

"Hey," Twin one said, closing in on my left.

"It's kind of weird isn't it." Twin two said, closing in my right.

"The way you're acting." Twin one said with a grin.

"Is really suspicious." Twin two said.

"Is it really necessary for you two to complete each other's sentences?" I asked innocently with a smile.

"We heard what you said." Twin one.

"You're trying really hard to act all sweet and ladylike you know." Twin two said. They wrapped their arms around me, sticking their faces _really_ close to mine. I flushed. The hell is wrong with these guys huh?

"Stop it at once, you evil twins!" Suoh said, shoving the twins away. "This is no way to treat a princess."

"Tamaki, yes?" I asked, turning my brilliant smile to him. He froze.

"Y-Yes?" He said. My smile widened.

"Tama-chan," I said slowly. "I believe I already kindly requested that you not call me a princess?"

"Y-Yes?" He squeaked.

"And what did you just do? Tama. Chan."

"I'm sorry!" He wailed running away.

"Seriously," I said, crossing my arms and frowning. "What is with him?" He was sobbing loudly on the floor and the twins were poking him like he was a fascinating new species.

Kyoya smiled, pushing up his glasses and letting them glint in that ominous way of his. "It seems you haven't changed after all, Hayashi-san."

I smiled. This time it was more genuine. "Ah, actually I have, a bit. You're just seeing the bit of me you shouldn't see nowadays." I sighed quietly "And you can just call me Rika, Kyoya. I've known you for years."

"Is that so, Rika…"

"Ri-chan, do you want to come with us? We're going to pick up our friend!" Honey said, bringing my attention back to the adorable, little- wait. He's only shorter than me by like one inch. But he's still so cute! And he looks like he's much smaller.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that. My parents would be very angry if I left with a bunch of random boys I found on the street. I'd love to go with you though!" I smiled. I wondered who their friend was. Another idiotic guy?

"I think it'd be best if I continued on my walk," I said. "Bye!"

"Bye Ri-chan!"

"Bye!"

I smiled and waved and walked away.

* * *

**3rd POV:**

"It's like she has split personalities," Hikaru said, as they rode to Haruhi's house.

"She's nice though!" Honey said. "Right, Takashi?"

"Ah," Takashi replied. Honey grinned.

"Why doesn't she like being called princess?" Tamaki whined.

"She's really short though," Kaoru said. "But…" He turned to his twin.

"She would be a really good new toy," Hikaru finished, mirroring his twin's amused grin. "I wonder what would make her crack."

"It's not that she has split personalities," Kyoya interrupted calmly. "I believe it's because she's trying to act the way she's expected to."

"What, act ladylike?" Kaoru asked skeptically. He didn't see the logic behind such a thing. Kyoya nodded.

"But why?" Honey said, looking at Kyoya with big curious eyes.

Kyoya was silent, even though he knew precisely the reason why. He hadn't seen Rika since she went off to middle school, so he'd kept tabs on her through her files. And so he knew about the middle school incident. It was just like her to act the way she was expected to, then slip away from her parents' control the moment she could.

"Is she going to attend Ouran, Kyoya?" Tamaki asked with glittering eyes. "She could become Haruhi's new girlfriend!"

"Yes. She's starting tomorrow," Kyoya replied. "But she's a third-year. You should know that already."  
Tamaki's happy face crumbled into a devastated one. "Aw. And she would have been the perfect influence on Haruhi."

Kyoya smiled. If Tamaki knew what Rika's true nature was, he'd never say that. Ah, but he'd rather keep this to himself. It'd be interesting to see what happened next.

* * *

**Please review! I really want to know what you think! And thanks for reading! :)**


	2. Why is it them?

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all the favorites and follows so far! And special shout out to IDontReview and foxchick1 for reviewing! :D Thanks so much!**

**I'm not too sure how I'm going to pull off HoneyxOC yet... But hope you guys like this chapter anyway! :) This is going to be a bit slow moving for now so please bare with it. Enjoy!**

**Oh and unless specified, it is in Rika's POV**

**T for language**

* * *

"I'm back." I closed the umbrella and handed it to the door maid. She smiled, bowed, and left with the umbrella.

"How was your walk, Rika-sama?" Azumi asked.

"It was alright, Azumi. I think I met our neighbors." I said. "The ones that live in the traditional Japanese home."

"Ah, the Haninozuka family," Azumi said knowingly.

"Yes." I replied, nodding.

"Rika!"

Oh dear. It was sis. I smiled. "Yes, nee-san? Is there something I can help you with?"

"Where's my makeup set?" she demanded angrily. She had long black hair, usually kept down, and she was tall. Much taller than me which is _so_ unfair. She was dressed in a simple frilly pink skirt and a brown hoodie. My sister had no fashion sense. She tried to wear cute and pretty things but somehow they just turned out… wrong.

"I don't know where they are, nee-san. Did you ask a maid?" I replied in a very calm and dignified manner. At least, that's my point of view. I headed towards the marble staircase.

"W-Well, no. Not really. I thought you'd know," she said, following closely behind me. She's so not ladylike at all. I scoffed very quietly so Kimiko wouldn't hear.

"Ask Azumi." I said, entering my room and closing the door in her face.

"Rika, that is really rude!" She shouted childishly before stomping away. I chuckled. Kimiko is so ridiculous. I can hardly believe she's already twenty.

In my room, I went to my bookshelf. I used to have a ton of video games to play and a ton of manga to read. After middle school, yup. They got chucked out along with all my sweatpants, jeans, t-shirts, shorts, and everything my parents considered "unladylike." All my manga! All of it! Every single volume! I was so appalled. To this day, I still hold that grudge against them. It's one thing to throw out clothes, but manga? No. No way in hell does that just happen. And my video games!

My parents stocked up my bookshelf with "educational" and "proper books for a young lady like yourself." I've gone through numerous books about history, science, and arts. It's the reason why I don't ever have to study for those subjects. Math is a breeze for me too. And English? I got that down in middle school thanks to Akane.

So class has always been easy for me. At that stupid boarding school, I read every single book at their library. Unless it was so boring that I just couldn't continue.

This time, I picked out a book on knitting. I'd been trying to learn how to knit recently but to no avail. I settled down on my huge bed to read.

"Rika!" My door flew open to reveal Kimiko.

"What now?" I asked. She huffed at me angrily. She was probably hoping to find me doing something "bad" so she could tattle on me. Like what did she expect? For me to be secretly reading manga or playing video games? Or beating up some punching bag? My parents took away all my martial arts equipment and my treadmill after middle school. Seriously. I lost everything after that. Ah, they're such jerks.

"How do I look?" She asked calmly, straightening her hoodie. Nothing had effing changed about her appearance! Why was she asking me?

"You look fine, besides, aren't you just going out with some friends?" I waved her away easily, returning my attention back to the book. Wow, that's cool. You can knit stuffed animals! Did you know that?

"N-Not just some friends! Masahiko-kun will be there too!" She replied hotly. Ah, her sweet beloved crush.

"It's fine. You look like that everyday anyway."

"Rika!" She shrieked. "Ugh, fine. I don't even know why I bother asking you." She stormed out of my room without closing the door. How rude. I sighed and buried myself back into the book. How boring. Maybe Ouran will be a bit more exciting.

I gasped, a sudden beam of light reaching me. What if Ouran has bullies? Oh my God that'd be the perfect opportunity! I must befriend some wimpy people who get easily picked on! Then, when they're getting bullied, I can beat up the bullies. It'd be the perfect excuse for some fighting.

Ah, but that's really horrible huh?

Ugh. Whatever. There probably won't be any bullies. What a shame.

* * *

It's pink. Are you effing kidding me? Why the hell is the school _pink?_ It looks like some princess's dream castle. Oh wait. Should I really be that surprised? I mean, I should have expected this after seeing the stupid, poofy yellow dress. What was even more disturbing was that I was actually _wearing_ the disgusting thing. Ah, can't blow my cover over some idiotic dress. At least it was made of nice material. It was really restricting though and even covered my feet from view. They had to tailor the dress so I wouldn't trip over it.

"A new student!"

"Aw, she's so cute!"

"She's really short."

"That's a big bow."  
"Cute."

Great, now these shallow idiots were gossiping about me. I smiled at them pleasantly, letting my "friendly" aura wash over them.

"She seems nice."

"I want to be her friend."

Ah, boy was I good at this.

"Ri-chan!"

Eh?

Honey waved excitedly while riding atop Mori. I froze in my tracks. Uh. Oh no! Now I'll attract more unwanted attention! And more attention means more chances that I'll mess up! Noooooooo. Wait. Honey's saying something.

"-do you have?"

"Uh, sorry?" I said, tilting my head with a confused and apologetic smile.

"What classes do you have?" he asked again patiently.

"Oh. Here. Do you want to see my schedule?" I handed him the paper. He nodded, taking it from me.

"Oh, Ri-chan! We share four classes together!" Honey said happily. "With Takashi too!" He patted Mori's head fondly. Mori nodded, as Honey gave my schedule back.

"That's great!" I replied, genuinely happy.

"Come on! First class is this way! Takashi!" Honey pointed to the direction I'd just came from. Mori nodded and quickly lifted me up.

Eh?

He set me down on his left shoulder, next to Honey. "A-Ah, Mori-san. What are you doing?" I asked as Mori started walking. I grabbed Honey's arm. "T-This is really dangerous. And aren't I too heavy?"

Mori shook his head. "Honey," I wailed, clinging to his arm. My balance wasn't poor, but riding on someone's shoulders with absolutely nothing keeping me there was really dangerous.

Honey grinned. "Don't worry, you won't fall."

We arrived at the classroom after a while. The entire time I was panicking. Sure, I was pretty short and small so it wasn't too awkward, but still… Besides, riding on a guy's shoulder absolutely went against proper behavior!

"We're here!" Honey shouted, jumping off Mori's shoulder. Oh yeah? Well, I can do that too! Ok. Nope. Guess that's not happening when it comes to Mori huh? He lifted me up and gently placed me on the floor.

"I could have…" I stopped myself. No, telling them that I could have jumped off a dude who's like six feet something probably wouldn't benefit my image. I smiled instead. "Thank you, Mori-san. Except next time, I think I'll choose to walk myself."

"Aw," Honey said with a frown. "But riding on Mori is really fun! Don't you think so, Ri-chan?" He gave me his innocent, flowery smile.

Yeah… no. "It's really dangerous, Honey-san." I replied, as we entered the classroom. Honey pouted then walked off to his seat with Mori right behind him. Did I just make him angry? Noooo, Honey don't be mad at me!

"Ah, you're the new student right?" Sensei asked with a warm smile. I nodded and gave her a sweet smile in return. "Aw, you're so cute."

What. Ah whatever.

The bell rang as students settled down into their seats. "Everyone," the teacher called out, clapping her hands together briefly to attract attention. "You have a new classmate. Go ahead, introduce yourself."

"Hello everyone," I said with my warmest smile possible. "I'm Hayashi Rika. The kanji for it is forest and valued fragrance. It's nice to meet you all, and I hope we all get along. Please take care of me." I bowed then smiled at everyone. I could see the kind smiles returned and happiness in everyone's eyes. Yup, I had them all under my control. Mwahahahaha- Ah, wait. I mean, they obviously all liked me was what I meant.

"Wah, so cute!"

"She's so tiny!"

"Did you see that she came in with Honey?"

"Oh, they'd be so cute together!"

Uh. Whaaaaat? Honey and me? No way! Honey's like ten levels above me! Not just in martial arts but in cuteness and I'm sure in academics too!

"Any questions?" Sensei asked.

"Hayashi-san," one guy asked. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Wow. This guy is bold.

"Don't ask her that!" The girl sitting next to him hissed, slapping at his raised hand. "That's so rude, Shu-kun."

"Eh, but I'm just curious."

I smiled. "No, I don't."

"Students," Sensei said rather annoyed. "Ask some more sensible questions, will you?" The class was back to murmuring.

"No boyfriend? But she's so cute!"

"Shuji-kun was so bold."

"Do you think he has a crush on her?"

"No way, already?"

I stared at Honey with my pleading eyes. Please just let this end already! I just wanted to be put in whatever seat and start learning boring things! He saw and just grinned, giving me a thumbs up. What? What does that mean? I'm doing a good job? Or is he just encouraging/supporting me? So unhelpful. Honey! I expected more from you!

"If there are no more questions, then Hayashi-san will go and sit down." Sensei said, talking over the students' chatter.

"Ah, Sensei, I have a question!" One girl said, raising her hand. Sensei nodded. "Hayashi-san, is your family the one that owns the Hayashi Sweets?"

"Yes," I replied. "Also Oshiro Press and the Oshiro bookstore line."

"Eh?" The students said collectively. Yeah, yeah. So my family was a big one. What do you expect huh? More murmuring. My God! These guys are as bad as the boarding school. I sighed mentally.

"Go ahead and sit next to Honey, Hayashi-san." Sensei said. Why was the seat right next to Honey's the only one open? What is this, a manga? Well at least that seat isn't right next to the window. But I feel like a lot of people would want to sit next to Honey, seeing as how cute he is. Is he not as popular here as I'd expected? I glanced at Sensei with an inquiring look. She smiled. "Girls always fight over who gets to sit there. Since you seem welcomed, they won't mind too much (for a while anyways) that you're sitting next to him." She giggled. What? This school is weird. Nevermind the ugly yellow dresses and that's it painted pink, the teachers are like this too?

Honey sat in the very last row. Sweet, out of the teacher's view, for the most part. I sat down next to Honey and smiled at him. He grinned at me in that super adorable way of his. OMG he's so cute!

Then class began. So boring. I knew like 98% of the stuff she taught, so I dozed while she lectured. So booooooooring.

* * *

"Ri-chan, wake up!"

"Mmm?" I shook my head as my gaze refocused on Honey, standing next to my desk. "Wh-What? Class is over already?"

"Yeah, come on!" He grabbed my hand, dragging me out of my seat.

"Hayashi-san!"

I turned, facing a huge group of boys and girls. Holy crap! What? Why are there so many of them? OMG I can't handle this many people all at once! Help meeeeeeee!

"Hello everyone," I said with a quick bow and smile. Honey still had my hand. He turned with a frown.

"Ri-chan, aren't we going to our next class now?"

"Eh, oh yeah!" Thank goodness there's Honey. I love you, Honey. Thank you so much for saving me! "Um, I'd love to see you guys, but I have to go." I smiled and waved at them as Honey dragged me away. "Bye!"

"Bye Hayashi-san!" They shouted/squealed.

"Phew, thanks Honey-san!" I said, as we walked to the next class. Mori followed as usual in that calm and quiet way. He was actually a really reassuring presence.

"You seem popular, Ri-chan." Honey replied with a grin. I nodded and smiled. "But should you really be sleeping in class already?"

"Eh, oh. Yeah," I chuckled. Genuinely too! "I can't help it though. It's really boring and easy." Honey glanced at me thoughtfully. And he was still holding my hand!

He grinned. "Maybe you should take some harder classes."

"Yes. That would be a good idea." I smiled back. Then I actually considered his suggestion. It wouldn't be that difficult to change my classes. I'd just transferred after all. "But then I'd actually have to do work. I'd actually have to study, so… No thanks!" I grinned. Genuinely! I don't grin much. My smiles are usually fake, but when I grin, it's real. I don't like flashing my teeth to just anyone after all.

"Ohh," Honey said slowly.

"What?" I asked, returning back to my fake smile.

He smiled at me mischievously. Geez, maybe Honey was even better than me at smiling! "Ri-chan's real smile is cuter after all."

Eh?

What was that cheesy manga-like line? What in the world? "We're here!" He said, letting go of my hand and whistling as he walked to his desk. What?

Man, I feel like an idiot.

Introductions and class gossiping. Here we go again!

* * *

"Come eat lunch with us, Ri-chan!" Honey said, as we headed towards the cafeteria. I nodded. It was actually fun being around Honey. I didn't have to act too much because it was easy to be with him. He didn't annoy me or say stupid things. And Mori. Well, he doesn't say anything or do much except tag along, so there's not much I can complain about him in the first place.

"You've already met everyone right, Ri-chan? Oh except Haru-chan." Honey said cheerily. Wait, I've already met everyone? Except Haru-chan? Who's that? A girl? Wait, wait. Stop. How do I already know everyone? It can't be… No. Please let it not be-

"Rika-hime~!" Tamaki the idiot was in front of me again. Nooooooooo.

"Honey-san," I sputtered, grabbing his sleeve. "Why do your friends have to be… this bunch?! Why?"

"Good afternoon, Rika-san."

"Kyoya!" I said in relief. "Thank goodness you're here too."

"Ah, it's Rika-chan." Twin one said, grinning and closing in on me.

"Rika-chan is here." Twin two said, mirroring Twin one. Boy are they good at stating the obvious.

"Hello. Twins. I can't tell you apart. Sorry." I said, sitting down next to Honey and… wait, is this a girl?

"Ri-chan, this is Haru-chan!" Honey said, gesturing at the girly looking… guy. Uh. What. What. What?!

"Hello," Haru-chan said with a gentle (genuine!) smile. "Fujioka Haruhi. And you are?"

"Hayashi Rika, it's nice to meet you." I replied. I stared at her. Big brown eyes. Wow. She's cute. Wait, I mean, he's cute. No way that's a girl… Unless!

My mind fell into the otaku world.

A girl crossdressing as a guy? But why would he/she do that? Gasp, I know! She had no choice but to! But how come? Or, a lesbian girl who really loves girls! What to do but to dress up as a guy to win the hearts of girls right?

No. Probably just a really girly looking guy. This world isn't a manga world. I sighed, opening up my bento box. "Itadakimasu." Then I started eating. Ah, Cook's food is the best!

"Cake! Cake! Strawberry cake!"

What?

Honey was eating an entire cake. For lunch. Is he crazy? And Mori's letting him? No one else finds this strange at all? Oh wait, that must mean it's normal.

"Haru-chan," I said. She- I mean he! Turned to me with those big brown innocent eyes. OMG s- he's almost as cute as Honey! "Does Honey-san always eat cake for lunch?"

"Yeah," he replied with a nod.

"R-Really?" I can't believe. Wait, yes I can. Honey's devouring the cake right in front of my eyes. Oh my God the people here are berserk!

"Hayashi-san!"

Eh?

"We have some questions for you!" It was a couple of girls and a few guys looking uncomfortable. Oh. Probably cause I'm surrounded by hot guys. Wait. Did I just call all these dumbos hot? Yes, I did. Oh. Gee. Lord.

"Of course!" I replied in my very fake, soft voice. "How may I help you?"

"What do you use to make your skin look so soft and pale?"

Huh? Really? They came to ask me that? Wow, these people have no creativity at all. I smiled at them. "I just use this soap thing that my parents bought me. I think it's organic but I'm not sure. If you'd like, I can go home and see and tell you later."

"Sure!"

But my skin being pale was a completely different story. I was naturally pale, which is really annoying. Cause I look almost sickly pale in the winter time. Ah, at least at the boarding school, even during winter, there was a fair amount of sunshine to tan my skin.

"Anything else I can do for you?" I asked sweetly.

The guys came forward, scratching the back of their heads awkwardly. Aw, they're shy. That's so cute. Unless they came here to ask pervy questions. Then that wouldn't be cute.

"You don't have a boyfriend right?" The first guy asked, avoiding my gaze. What, is this the question of the day?

"No, I don't." I replied kindly. "Anything else?"

"Uh um!" The second guy said with determination. "Will you go out with me then?" Ok, what the hell is wrong with these people? Do I look like a tramp just asking for a boyfriend or something?

Suddenly, it got really quiet at our lunch table.

"What did you just ask Rika-hime?" Tamaki asked in a low voice. Wow. Is this guy an idiot? How many times do I have to tell him not to call me a princess?!

"Eh, uh." The second guy backed away.

"I'm sorry," I replied, placing my hand over Tamaki's to keep him from doing something stupid. "But I really don't know you." I smiled. "I'd love to get to know you better though. So, for now, do you want to just be friends?"

"Uh. Yeah, sure!" The guy squeaked out then he ran away. Pathetic. I'd be damned to go out with a guy like him. He can't even stand his ground in front of a dumb second year.

"Tama-chan," I said, beckoning with my finger. He looked up at me and leaned across the table towards me. Then I pinched his cheek again. Still smiling, I said, "How many times, Tama-chan, do I have to tell you _not to call me a princess!_"

"Aieeeeee!" He burst into tears and ran away with the twins laughing.

"She's good!" Twin one shouted, while tears poured out of his eyes from laughing. Twin two just rolled around on the floor, dying in laughter. Geez, they're all so immature.

"Rika-san," Kyoya said. "Please refrain from harming Tamaki's face."

"And why is that, Kyoya?"

"Wait!" Twin two suddenly shouted, interrupting our conversation. "How do you guys know each other?"

Kyoya and I exchanged glances. I figured Kyoya would be better at explaining it. He sighed. "The Hayashi family has a police force and are good friends with the Ootori family. We've known each other since we were children."

"And," I said spiritedly. "Once, my parents even considered having me engaged to Kyoya!" The twins froze. Kyoya froze. I grinned, for real this time. Then I started giggling. "Oh my God, your faces are hilarious!"

The twins were still frozen. Kyoya un-froze though. He cleared his throat as if he were feeling uncomfortable. "That was a joke, yes?"

"No," I replied with a real smile. Then I laughed, quietly. Very quietly, because my real laugh was the real me. And I couldn't just expose the real me so quickly and so easily. "No, seriously, Kyoya. They really did consider it. Don't worry though. I talked them out of it." I kept laughing and even started banging the table quietly. Oh God, his face is hilarious. He's like frozen in shock. Ah, this is the best moment I've had all day!

Honey poked my side, and I turned, still giggling. He grinned. "Ri-chan's real laugh is cuter too, ne?"

This time I froze. What is he saying? Why does he say such things? I blushed. "H-Honey-san!" I squeaked. "What are you saying?"

"So all along," Twin one said. Oh, so they've finally regained their composure.

"You've been faking it." Twin two.

I stared at them. Wait, what? Did I miss a few sentences? "I'm sorry, but I don't really understand."

"Rika-chan!" Tamaki suddenly interrupted, jumping in between where Haruhi and I were sitting. "I've decided that I won't ever call you princess again."

"That sure did take you long." Oh crap. Did that really just come out of my mouth? Noooo, I'm gradually losing my mask. And of all people, to these people! The twins stared at me then grinned in that we-have-a-great-and-evil-plan way. Kyoya was still silent, probably still in shock but trying to hide it. Honey was eating his cake but watching us all with big curious super cute eyes!

Phew, nobody really noticed. Well maybe they did but didn't really care. Oh whatever. I sighed quietly and went back to eating as the twins began plotting some evil thing.

"Haruhi~!" Tamaki said, crushing the said boy in a hug. "Now you have a good girl friend! The two of you can go shopping! And-And do girly things together! Isn't that great?"

"Senpai!" Haruhi yelled, shoving Tamaki away. "Don't just go and hug people whenever you want to! Especially not when they're eating!" Aw, he's so cute. But wait. Why would I do girly things with a guy? I stared at Haruhi suspiciously.

"Um, Haruhi-chan," I said sweetly.

"Yes, senpai?"

"Are you a girl?" I asked with that same sweet voice.

"Yes."

Wow! So honest! So truthful! So innocent! Wait. She's a girl? This girly looking boy is a girl? OMG, my crossdresser theory was correct!

And suddenly Kyoya un-froze.

"Kyoya, why is a girl crossdressing as a guy?" I asked him. If anyone knew the answer, it'd be him.

"Meet us after school at Music Room Three." He replied. "For now, please do not tell anyone this information."

"Okay!"

But why Music Room Three? What would be waiting for me there?

* * *

**Please review! I'd love to hear your feedback! Are the characters alright? Nobody too out of character? Any suggestions? What do you think of Kimiko so far?  
**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Oops! Did I Just Say That?

**Another chapter! Thanks again for all the follows and favorites! This chapter has a bit more development between Rika and the Host Club. Hope you guys like it!**

**Warning: Rika _really_ cusses in this chapter. Be prepared!**

* * *

Man, the moment class ended, I got bombarded by classmates. My last two classes were the ones that I didn't share with Honey and Mori, but they'd been kind enough to point me in the right direction.

Here's the gist of what happened:

Them: Did you just move here?

Me: Yes.

Them: You're so pretty/cute!

Me: …Uh, thanks.

Them: Do you have a boyfriend?

Me: No. _(Why do they keep asking this? Why do they care?)_

Them: How do you have such nice skin?

Me: I use organic products _(How can they even tell I have nice skin?)_

Them: What middle school did you go to?

Me: I studied abroad _(This is the lie my parents told others when I went to middle school under a different name. It was to keep me out of sight.)_

Them: Wow that's so cool! Does that mean you know another language well?

Me: Sort of. _(Must act modest.)_ I know quite a bit of English _(Oh thank you so much Akane! I love you!)_

Them: Wow that's so cool!

Me: … _(These people are annoying. My facial muscles are going to be sore tomorrow at this rate.)_

Them: What about your two years of high school?

Me: I was at an all girls' boarding school.

Them: Wow!

* * *

So unpleasant. And now I'm late to meeting Kyoya. Ahh, what a pain. I pushed open the doors to Music Room #3.

"Welcome!" Voices chimed out as rose petals were blasted into my face. Oh, great. The group of boys (and Haruhi!) I'd sat with during lunch were in front of me again.

"Oh?" said Kyoya.

"Oh, it's not a customer." Twin one said.

"It's just Rika-senpai." Twin two said with a sigh.

"What is this?" I burst out. "Is my appearance a great big disappointment or something?" Oh my gosh, did I just say that? Did I just crack? Thank goodness, there isn't anybody else around. The twins exchanged grins. They came towards me, eyes looking like they were predators stalking prey. "Eh? I'm sorry! I mean, I was just really surprised by the rose petals thing!"

The twins wrapped their arms around my shoulders, while the one on my right closed the doors. Oh my God, if that wasn't an ominous sign, then I don't know what was. Plus it was the twins were were talking about! They are soooo freaky/creepy/evil!

They guided me further into the room. I started fidgeting with my hands. I could just tell, even though I was staring at the ground, that they were grinning over the top of my head. Oh and did I ever mention that they are really tall? Much, much taller than me?

"Kyoya!" I looked up, making a puppy-dog face. "Please save me from whatever the twins have in store for me!" Kyoya just stared at me blankly.

The twins started cackling madly. They sat me down on a white, princess-looking, cushioned chair. Then in a few seconds, they had me tied.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?"

Oh God.

Oh no. I blew it. It's gone. I've lost it! Noooooooo. Wait. Rika. Get your head back. I can't forget that I have my trusty red notebook. If all else fails, I can always blackmail them. Yes. Mwahahahahaha!

"So we were right." Twin one.

"You do have another side." Twin two. Gosh, I can't tell them apart. It's really annoying. What, should I just start guessing?

"Hikaru," I mumbled, staring at twin two. "If you would kindly untie me."

"You're wrong!" Twin two/Hikaru? said, jabbing a finger at me. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. But then I thought: they've already heard me cuss, so they might as well see my angry face.

Nah. It'd be better if I didn't get angry. Who knows who'd walk in.

I smiled at Hikaru(?) and said, "Then Kaoru dear-"

Hikaru grinned. "Wrong again!"

"What the hell!" I shouted. "Just fucking untie me, damn it!"

It got quiet. Really quiet. Like so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Scratch that. Not a pin, a feather.

"Well geez," I said. "Don't look like I just murdered someone." Everyone had frozen in place. It was quite amusing actually. Except Kyoya, who was calmly writing something in his black notebook. Probably noting just under what circumstances I finally got angry.

"Kyoya stop writing and make them stop gawking." I hissed. Tamaki was frozen in place with the most devastated look on him. He looked like I'd just smashed Haruhi's face in or something. Haruhi was just standing very rigidly with a blank look and slightly larger eyes. The twins looked surprised. They had jumped away from me as if I were medusa out to get them.

Oh Mori looked just the same, except maybe his eyes had widened a fraction. Honey was frozen, a lollipop in the air. Oh crap. Did I just cuss in front of Honey? I'm sorry Honey. I didn't mean to! He looked like he'd seen a ghost pop right up in front of him.

"Guys? Snap out of it." Haruhi finally said, being the first to come back to life. It seemed like her voice was magical or something because suddenly the frozen atmosphere shattered and everyone came back to their senses.

"Thank goodness someone like Haruhi exists in this group," I said with a sigh of relief. Now I waited to see what their un-frozen reaction would be.

"Oh my, who would have known," Twin one said, raising his arms in a shrug.

"That senpai would have such a dirty mouth?" Twin two said, again copying his brother's gesture. Why don't they act more individualized? It'd make it so much easier to tell them apart.

"Rika-chan?" Tamaki wailed, suddenly hugging my feet. "Why? Who has ruined my darling daughter?"

"And who the hell is your daughter exactly?" I snapped. I was seriously at the end of my patience. I was still tied to the chair!

"Mommy!" Tamaki sobbed, hopping over to Kyoya. "Our daughter is using dirty words again!"

"Mommy?" I said, staring at Kyoya. He pushed up his glasses and didn't respond.

"Ri-chan," Honey said, standing in front of me hugging Usa-chan. "Why do you use such words?" He looked like he was on the brink of tears. I stared at him. He was making absolutely no move to remove the rope that was still tying me to this chair!

"Honey-san," I replied through gritted teeth. "Would you like to untie me?"

Honey started to cry too. "But Ri-chan, I thought you were nice!" He ran back to Mori crying. Oh my-

"Oh my God!" I burst out. "If you guys are all done acting like idiots just cause I said a couple of swear words, will you freaking untie me already? Or would you like me to cuss some more? Don't be such overly sensitive idiots!"

Haruhi came over and began wrestling with the knot. "Sorry about this, senpai. Hikaru and Kaoru can go over the top." She said. I nodded in agreement and sighed, annoyed. Mori was busy trying to calm Honey down. The twins were murmuring with their heads together again. Tamaki was crying and complaining to Kyoya while Kyoya just calmly continued to write in his notebook.

Haruhi tugged at the knot then looked at me. "Uh, senpai, I'm sorry, but Hikaru and Kaoru really tied this well." She gave me an apologetic and sweet smile. Aw, she's so cute. "But you'll eventually be untied."

What? How long is eventually? She walked over to where Tamaki was now sobbing into Kyoya's shoulder. No. Haruhi! Don't leave me here!

She dragged Tamaki away from Kyoya and started yelling at him. Haha. Oh look, now he's in a corner growing mushrooms. Wow, that's some gardening skill. Haruhi's good at putting Tamaki in a depressed corner.

"Hikaru, Kaoru!" I growled. "Untie me at once!"

They whipped straight up in front of me with a grin and green caps in their hands. "Okay! But only if you win in the Which-One-Is-Hikaru game!"

"Why should I play this stupid game with you guys?" I asked, as they put on the caps and began to twirl around.

"Because you have no other choice!" The twin on the left said.

"So which one is Hikaru?" The twin on the right asked. I stared at them. I inspected their eyes, their faces, and then down. Their arms and torso and legs.

"How do you guys expect me to tell you apart?" I demanded, beginning to wiggle under the ropes.

Leftie grinned. "Does that mean you give up?"

"No way." I said. I stared at them again. Well, it was a 50/50 chance. I closed my eyes and decided to let my intuition take its pick.

"Hm…" I opened my eyes. "You, on the right."

"Wrong!" The twins shouted in glee, twirling around again.

"Guys, stop it!" Haruhi said. "She's right."

"I am?" I asked, surprised. "Yes! Now untie me at once!"

"Fine." Hikaru said. The twins came and quickly undid the knot.

"Geez, why did that take so long?" I said, kicking at the rope at my feet. "Kyoya, I clearly remember that you did not ask me to come here just so this could happen!"

"You're correct." Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses. "I was waiting for everyone to calm down before I continued."

"Well, please continue then." I replied, crossing my arms in annoyance.

"You must keep the fact that Haruhi is a girl a secret." Kyoya said calmly, still having not looked up from his black notebook.

"Okay."

"I told you it'd be easy," Haruhi said simply.

"Why should I tell everyone Haruhi's a girl?" I asked. "There's not much benefit to it, Kyoya. Surely you'd know that." I smiled in my evil, scheming way. (It's a real smile even though I think it can look kind of creepy sometimes!)

"Yes, because if you told everyone that Haruhi was a girl, I'd have to tell your parents that you haven't changed after all." Kyoya said, returning my smile.

"You wouldn't dare, Kyoya." I shot back, placing a hand on my hip.

"And why wouldn't I?" He was obviously asking for a fight. I smiled, retrieving my red notebook. It was the same color as my red bow. I opened my notebook and began tapping at the pages.

"Let's see. Ootori Kyoya. Born November 22nd. Currently sixteen years old and about five foot ten. Two older brothers and one older sister. Older sister, Fuyumi, is married. Oh! Kyoya, you're onee-san is really pretty these days! Wait, what am I doing? I already know all this!"

Kyoya smiled. He probably thought I was being stupid. I suppose in the end I couldn't possibly compete against his evil notebook and laptop.

"But you know Kyoya," I said with a sweet smile. "I hope you do know that I've kept some of those pictures your mom gave me. You know, like the one where you were just a wee little kid and wet the bed."

Kyoya flushed. Haha, I made Kyoya's face turn into a tomato. It was cute actually. "Rika-san." He said darkly.

"Don't worry Kyoya," I said. "I don't really want to ruin your image. I'm sure you feel the same way right?"

He stared at me and then sighed quietly. I was right! Next, I had to talk to Honey. He was sitting at a table and eating cake. Again?

"Honey-san," I said, walking over. "Are you okay? You aren't too upset are you?" He looked up from his cake and grinned.

"Nope! It's all good!"

Phew. I let out a great big sigh of relief. Thank goodness. I was starting to think that Honey would hate me!

"Oh, what's this?" Twin one, Hikaru I think, said.

"Could it be?" Kaoru set his arm on my shoulder, leaning closer as Hikaru did the same. I sighed. They need some more creativity when talking to others.

"That Rika-senpai cares about what Honey-senpai thinks of her?" They said at the same time. I frowned and then sighed.

I turned to them with a bright smile. "Of course I would, silly dears!"

They stared at me blankly. "That's really creepy." Kaoru said.

"Yeah. Please don't ever do that again." Hikaru said.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Those are brilliant faces you guys are making! Brilliant! Kyoya, did you just see that? Oh my gosh, you guys are all so cute!"

"Cute?" The guys (and Haruhi!) said at once. Actually, minus Mori and Kyoya, but they had both looked up.

"Yeah!" I said with a real smile.

"Ri-chan's really smiling again!" Honey said with delight. He ran up to me and hugged me. What is going on?

Oh my God, I'm hugging Honey! My idol! And he smells good. He smells like cake and sweets! My arms wrapped around him and I closed my eyes. Ah, it feels nice being hugged by Honey.

"Ri-chan," Honey said, pulling back and placing his hands on my shoulder. I opened my eyes, still smiling.

"Yes?" I said.

He grinned. "You can just call me Honey you know."

"Um. Okay?"

"And do you know how to bake cake?" He asked, suddenly looking very serious.

"Yeah. My family does own a sweet company."

"Will you bake cake for me then?" He continued. His eyes widened in excitement and he broke into a cheery smile. I stared at him. Was there a catch to this? Or a reason behind this?

"Sure?" I said, tilting my head in confusion.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" I nodded with a smile. "What kind of cake do you like best?"

"Anything will be good!" He said.

"Strawberry," Mori said suddenly, standing behind Honey and making the two of us look… so… short!

"Mori-san likes cake too? Okay! I'll make a strawberry one!" I grinned. "I'll bring it tomorrow. Is that okay, Honey?"

"Yeah!" Honey shouted enthusiastically.

"Oi, oi." I heard one of the twins mutter. "What's going on?"

"It looks like Rika-senpai is bonding with Honey-senpai." The other twin.

"Just because of cake?" First twin. Hikaru I think?

"What's this?" Tamaki said. "Cake? I want some cake too if it's being baked by you, Rika-chan!"

"Tama-chan," I said in a sweet voice that sounded like it could mirror Honey's. I turned around. Tamaki came over, looking like an excited and obedient puppy. He's cute! He's surprisingly so cute! "Tama-chan, have you forgotten that I'm your senpai?"

He froze. I started laughing again. He looked shocked, like someone had finally told him Santa Claus wasn't real.

"Rika-senpai is surprisingly sadistic." Kaoru said calmly. Kyoya nodded, as if confirming Kaoru's statement. Eh? Am I sadistic?

"Man, I haven't had this much fun in a long time." I said with a grin. "Thanks you guys! But I have to go! My sis is waiting for me." I headed towards the door.

"Wait, Ri-chan, you'll bring the cake right?" Honey asked.

I nodded. "Yup! And Tama-chan!"

He turned, looking at me tearfully.

"I'll bake a special cake for you!" I said with a grin then stuck my tongue out. "And watch it you devil twins! See you guys!"

"Bye!"

I hummed to myself happily as I walked to the school gates. I hadn't laughed this much since middle school. It felt great! Maybe those guys (and Haruhi!) weren't that bad after all!

* * *

**Please review! And thanks for reading!**


	4. Cake! Cake! Why are there so many girls?

**Hey! Thanks for all the new follows and favorites! :D Please review you guys! And hope you enjoy this chapter! You get to see more of Kimiko... whether you want to or not. :P But there's also more HoneyXRika action!**

**Shout out to DreamTrance14 and QueenOfDarkHearts for reviewing! Thank you very much! :D**

* * *

Hm…

I was staring at the fruit of my labors. One chocolate cake and one strawberry cake. I sighed, the decorating hadn't turned out as well as I would have liked it to be.

"Rika, what are you doing now?"

"My sweet, dear onee-san," I said in my fluffy voice, turning around with a smile. "What brings you here to the kitchen?"

Kimiko huffed, hands on her hips. "I came to ask you what club you're going to join." She glared at me venomously.

I gave her a bright smile. "I'm not sure yet, nee-san. Do you have any suggestions for me? After all, my brilliant nee-san must know a few good clubs to join, ne?"

Kimiko kept her "deathly" glare. Really it wasn't threatening at all. She'd obviously never seen my full power glare before. Finally she just sighed and turned around to leave. Wow, so rude! Just come in and yell a bit and then just leave?

"Check out the club list," Kimiko said with a wave of her hand. "I'm sure you can find a club suitable for yourself."

* * *

Azumi brought me the school's club list later. I flopped down on my bed, scanning the list. Oh! They have a kendo club! I've always wanted to learn kendo but that's probably not happening. Oh! Martial arts club! Sweet!

Yeah, they'd never let me join.

What's this?

The Ouran High School Host Club? What?!

* * *

Honey told me to bring the cake after school to Music Room 3 again. Are they a club or something? Probably some lame club where they do whatever they want to… like eat cake and goof off. But why is a girl with them then?

Ah, whatever. I don't care.

I called Azumi during lunch to tell her to bring the cakes after school.

"And what exactly are you planning on doing with the cakes, Rika-sama?" Azumi asked sweetly. Obviously she'd informed my parents on what I was doing.

"I want to share them with some of my friends, Azumi." I replied.

"And who are these friends of yours, Rika-sama?" Gosh, her calling me Rika-sama is so annoying. It certainly is a good reminder that Azumi is not and can never be a good friend of mine.

"Mm, there are quite a few, Azumi. But Kyoya-kun is one of them." I had to remember to put an honorific or else Azumi would think I'd gotten too close to Kyoya already.

"Ootori Kyoya?" She sounded surprised.

"Yes, I knew him when I was younger too. And Haninozuka Mitsukuni and Morinozuka Takashi. And the Hitachiin twins."

"And these are all young men?"

"Yes. Ah, but don't worry, Azumi! I've gotten to know a few ladies too. It's just that the guys asked for cake."

"And you just agreed to bake some cake for them?"

"Azumi," I said in my whining, pouting voice. "I just want to be their friend. Besides, I have nothing else to do anyway."

"Very well, Rika-sama." Azumi said stiffly.

"Bye Azumi." Then I quickly hung up. I sighed. Ah what a hassle. Can't even get cake delivered without having to answer twenty questions.

"Hayashi-san!"

I turned to the voice and found a boy and a girl standing in front of me. The girl grinned and waved. I smiled back, almost genuinely. She seemed like she was actually nice. Then I stared at her some more. Wait, she seemed familiar. And the guy standing next to her too. He looked rather uncomfortable, staring at the wall and away from me. He was probably only here because of her. She had her arm looped through his, pinning him to the spot.

"Hello," I said, coming up next to them. I smiled, tilting my head sweetly. "How may I help you?"

The girl smiled back. She had brownish-black wavy, long hair, with bangs covering her forehead. Cute! She wasn't much taller than me, maybe two to three inches taller. And she actually looked good in the hideous school uniform! "I'm Yukimura Naoko." She nudged the boy next to her. "Come on, Shu-kun. You were bold enough yesterday. Introduce yourself."

He turned, frowning and blushing. He had short dark brown hair, combed neatly and simply. He looked up at me, with startling bright hazel brown eyes. "Ts-Tsukino Shuji. Nice to meet you. A-And I'm sorry about yesterday." He went back to staring at his feet. Aw cute! I have a soft spot for shy guys because they're so cute!

"We just wanted to say hi," Yukimura said with that cute smile of hers. She had dimples and a pretty round face. I did remember them. They were in my first class, and it had been Yukimura that had scolded Tsukino for asking if I had a boyfriend or not.

"It's nice to meet you," I replied with a short bow. "You two seem like you'd be good friends to have." I did have to make some girl friends to keep Azumi's suspicions low.

"Eh, not really." Yukimura waved my statement away. She frowned. "You weren't too insulted yesterday by what Shu-kun said, were you?"

I shook my head. "No, no. It's fine." I stared at the guy in question. He was still staring at the ground and his ears were turning red. Awww.

"Hey, Tsukino-san," I said. "You didn't seem this shy yesterday."

He looked up again, still blushing. "S-Sorry."

"It's fine! I'm just wondering why you're suddenly so shy." I replied gently. These two seemed like they really would be good friends.

"Of course he's shy," Yukimura offered for her friend. "He thinks you're really cute." She winked at me as I blushed.

"Nao-chan!" Tsukino shouted, wrenching his arm away from Yukimura. Oh they must be really good friends to be calling each other by their first name. Yukimura giggled.

"Well you were being stupid, Shu-kun. I'm just trying to help you." She said innocently. Tsukino's face turned even redder, if that was possible at all.

"S-Sorry. Ha-Hayashi-san." Tsukino squeaked out, bowing his head down.

I chuckled too, really did. "You're actually really cute when you're shy, Tsukino-san." He raised his head, eyes wide. Yukimura just kept giggling quietly by the sidelines.

"Ri-chan!"

I turned and saw Honey running down the hall towards me. "Ri-chan! Come on! Let's go to class now!"

Eh? Wasn't there still like fifteen minutes?

Honey came to a stop next to me. I glanced at Tsukino who had suddenly paled. Yukimura was still laughing. She's cute too.

"Nao-chan, stop it." Tsukino growled, looking partly embarrassed and partly annoyed. Yukimura just laughed even more.

"Ah, okay. We'll be going too then. Bye Hayashi-san." Yukimura said through her laughter. She grabbed Tsukino's arm and they left.

I turned to Honey and was startled by the sight of him glaring and pouting at our classmates who'd just left. "Honey?" I asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?" He looked up, and I watched as his angry face dissolved into another bright smile.

"Yup! Come on, Ri-chan! Classtime!" He grabbed my hand and began bounding down the hall in that usual enthusiastic manner of his. I grinned.

"Okay!"

* * *

"Thanks Azumi." I took the two cake boxes out of her hand.

"Are you sure, Rika-sama, that you don't want me to help carry these for you?" She asked, _almost_ sounding like she was actually concerned.

"It's fine, Azumi. Having you bring the cake was troubling enough." I replied with a smile. "Besides, I'd rather present it to my friends myself."

"It wouldn't be troubling at all to carry the ca-"

"I said it was fine, Azumi." My smile widened and brightened. It was my new method of threatening someone: by smiling at them. I'd been trying to master the Unohana "smile" for a while. Yes, Unohana from Bleach.*****

"Y-Yes. Rika-sama," Azumi bowed. Oh. I must be improving to be able to send Azumi off with like zero fight. "You will ride home with Kimiko-sama?"

"Yes. This won't take too long, Azumi." I started walking towards the staircase. "Thanks Azumi. Bye!"

* * *

The door was closed and my hands were full. "Excuse me," I called. "Could someone please open the door for me?"

"Yes, Princess!" I heard Tamaki shout. Great. That idiot.

The door opened, and I was once again greeted by rose petals. What in the world? Why do they need these rose petals?

"Princess," Tamaki said, bouncing over to me. I didn't think he'd seen that it was me yet, since my face was hidden from view by the cake boxes. "I feel honored that you have chosen to come visit us." Tamaki produced a rose, kneeling beside me. Then he froze as he finally saw it was me.

I was glaring at him and would have loved to thrown the cakes in his face, but I could hear from the chatter that there were other people here.

"Tama-chan," I said sweetly, transforming my glare into a smile. "Would you be a dear prince and take these boxes out of my hands?"

"Is that the cake? Is that the cake?" I heard Honey ask excitedly, jumping over and snatching the boxes out of my hands before Tamaki had the chance to.

"Yes!" I replied.

"Yay!" Honey ran away with the boxes, hopping around happily. I smiled faintly. Honey was just too cute.

Then I finally noticed.

The room was full of couches and those princessy chairs like yesterdays. There were dainty looking tables and on them were dainty looking tea sets. I saw Haruhi pouring a cup of tea for…

HOLY CRAP! WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE IN HERE?

And not just any kind of people… GIRLS!

"T-Tamaki," I said slowly, feeling one of my eyes twitch. "What's going on here?" But Tamaki was busy giving a rose to a blushing girl who'd just appeared at the open doors. The twins were performing some incestous act while girls sitting around them shrieked and fangirled to death. Haruhi was chatting easily to some other girls, who were all blushing madly. Honey was eating cake, not mine, while Mori sat by watching Honey. The girls around them squealed at Honey's adorableness and admired Mori's handsomeness… I guess.

That left only Kyoya, whose ominous and sometimes imposing character left him sitting at a plain table by himself tapping away on his laptop.

"Kyoya!" I shouted, racing to his side. "Please tell me what's going on!"

He looked up. "Oh. Rika-san, so you've come."

"Yes, I did."

"This is the Ouran High School Host Club." He replied calmly.

"Ohh," I said, as if that had just explained everything. "Wait! The Host Club? What? Why? What? What is the purpose of this club?"

"We entertain ladies, of course," Kyoya said, continuing to type. He said it as if it was matter of fact, as if I should have known this.

"And that's why Haruhi is… you know?"

Kyoya looked up again with a faint smile. "Yes. He broke a very expensive vase in our club room, and being a commoner, he had no means of repaying us. So we decided that he could host instead to pay back his debt."

"Let me guess," I said with my glaze eyed look (-_-). "The vase is actually only like 1 million yen? But you probably told Haruhi it was like 10 million or something."

"Rika-san, you never cease to amaze me." Kyoya replied in turn. It was basically his way of saying I was right, sort of.

I sighed. "You haven't changed at all Kyoya. Except maybe you've gotten even more money-hungry. Ah, whatever. I'm going over to Honey." Kyoya nodded as I headed to where the two cake boxes still sat on a chair.

"Honey-san," I said, putting on my mask again (not literally of course). "What should I do with the cake then?"

"Let's eat it later!" He gave me a big beam. "With everyone!"

"AW!" The girls said in unison.

"When's later then?" I asked. "I'd like to be here to hear your feedback on how it tastes and looks."

"After club activities, of course." Honey said, putting on the cutest face possible. It was probably to distract the girls nearby so they wouldn't really hear what he had just said. They probably wouldn't like the idea of one girl (hehe, technically there are two! They just don't know it) staying after to hang out with the Host Club.

"Okay then. Is there a fridge nearby to put them in?" I picked up the boxes again.

Honey nodded before turning to this cousin. "Takashi, can you help Ri-chan with the cake?" Mori nodded, got up, and scooped the boxes out of my hands easily.

I followed him into the backroom, where he tossed it into the fridge. Geez, he could have treated them a bit more gently. "Thanks, Mori-san." I said as we walked out of the backroom. He turned towards me and nodded, with just a small smile. Wow, Mori can smile!

Then he went back and sat down next to Honey. I went and sat with Kyoya, pulling out my homework and my cellphone. Even though I already knew everything, there was still homework to be completed.

"Onee-san?" I said when Kimiko finally picked up her phone. She had always been slow at everything.

"Ah, Rika-chan." Kimiko said cheerily and so fakingly sweet that I wanted to gag. She was probably with her crush. What was his name? Masahiko or something? Whatever, who cares. Well whatever, it always benefits me if she's near him. One because she acts like an idiot and says yes to everything. And two because she treats me extra-nice so that way she can look like a good sister in front of that dude.

"Kiki-nee," I said, using the nickname she absolutely hated. Okay, so maybe I am a bit sadistic. "I was calling to say that I'll be coming home later."

"Eh, is that so?" She said in an overly surprised tone. "Well, Riri-chan, how long will it take?" Another good thing is that she forgets to ask certain other questions she usually would, like why I'm staying so late.

"After club activities, like maybe a half-hour after it."

"That is late, Riri-chan." In the end, I guess the twins can't beat Kimiko at stating the obvious.

"And when are you going home, Kiki-nee?"

"I'm not too sure, Riri-chan."

"Well, I'll just call Azumi to pick me up when I'm all done then. How does that sound, Kiki-nee?" I could tell Kyoya was staring at me, probably really annoyed by my overly sweet tone and dragging conversation.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Riri-chan."

"So don't bother waiting for me, Kiki-nee." I said. "I'll see you at home!"

"Yes. Bye!"

I hung up immediately. It's a good thing Kimiko usually doesn't remember half of what we said when we do get home.

"How is your sister?" Kyoya asked.

"Ah, sorry about that. She's fine, I guess. Certainly better off than me." I started working on math. So tedious. I hate graphing!

"What are your plans once you graduate?"

"I want to go study abroad. I think Europe will have lots of business opportunities that I could take advantage of. What do you think, Kyoya?"

He nodded. "A fair idea. Does that mean you plan to leave Japan and live abroad too? Instead of taking over your family companies?"

"Of course." I sighed. "Kimiko doesn't want to hand over any of the family business. She thinks she can deal with all of it herself. I guess if she finds a suitable husband who doesn't have a big business, it'd work out. But I doubt she will."

Kyoya smiled. "You're going to completely abandon them, hm?"

I returned his smile with my mischievous "evil" one. "Of course. Considering what they've put me through, it's only fair. Besides, I can start my own business and reap more gains than anything Kimiko can get out of our family business."

"Harsh."

"The truth always is."

* * *

*** Just google Unohana's smile and you'll find plenty of pictures.**

**Please review! I'd like to hear your thoughts and any suggestions! Next chapter has more action in it! :D And thanks for reading!**


	5. Honey's home and little bro

**Since there were more follows and favorites, here's another chapter! The story is picking up! :D Hope you guys like it!**

**Shout out to DreamTrance14! Would you like some bunny-shaped, pink frosted cake? :P Lol yeah, she can be. That's why she gets along with Kyoya! ^_^ Thanks!**

* * *

"I made a chocolate cake for Tamaki," I said, as I opened the two boxes and pulled out the cake. The chocolate cake had chocolate cream filling and its top was covered by a round sheet of dark chocolate. It wasn't very big even though I was sure Honey could have eaten both the cakes easily.

"Here, Honey." I took the knife Haruhi had brought over and cut a piece of the larger strawberry cake for Honey. I used vanilla cake with strawberry slices in the middle of it. I'd also mixed strawberry cream with some vanilla cream and put more strawberries on the top. "Is this enough?" I dumped a huge slice onto a plate, handing it to Honey.

"Yes! Thank you, Ri-chan! Itadakimasu!" He started eating immediately as I served the others.

"How is it, Honey?" I asked with a smile, as the others began eating too.

"Good! It's really good, Ri-chan!" He shouted with a big grin. His face was covered in the cream. I chuckled. That was a relief.

"Wow, Rika-senpai," Haruhi said, an astonished look on her face. "This is delicious." She went back to eating as the twins and Tamaki cooed over how cute Haruhi was.

"Really? Great! Thanks!" I grinned, delighted.

"Who knew Rika-senpai," Hikaru said with a grin.

"Was this good at baking," Kaoru finished.

"Of course," Kyoya said, pushing up his glasses. "Rika-san helps out with the Hayashi Sweets by designing and baking some of their newest treats."

"Amazing! It's delicious!" Tamaki said in his usual enthusiasm.

I smiled. "Thanks Tamaki."

* * *

"Kyoya, I need to join a club. Any suggestions?" I said, as I sat down next to Haruhi for lunch. It was the next week, a Wednesday, and Kimiko had been pestering me about clubs. She said that Mom and Dad wanted to know. I don't know what the big deal is. I'd been staying after school doing homework either at the library or the Host Club. Why couldn't I just keep doing that? Kyoya looked up and smiled.

"Yes. Why not join the Host Club?"

I choked on my piece of rice and started coughing. "Wh-What? Why should I? What would I even do?"

"You could help out with the club," Kyoya replied. "Currently I'm the only one managing the club."

"But you're Kyoya!" I said, as if that explained everything. He gave me a threatening look, silently saying I should shut up. "I mean, you probably have it all down. Right?"

"I have to manage the club's budget. I have to prepare costumes, sell Host member products, and I have to deal with these people." He waved his hand lightly at Tamaki and the twins, who were hassling Haruhi.

"Hm… But I want some profit too."

"If you want money, Rika-san, you should get a job, not join a club."

"Why would Rika-senpai," The twins wrapped their arms around my shoulders. "Need to get a job?"

"Do you think my parents give me any allowance at all?" I asked. They glanced at each other and then nodded. I shook my head.

"Those jerk-wads took away everything." I said quietly, so only the nearby Host members could hear. "My manga, my video games, and all my martial arts equipment. And all my comfortable clothes."

"Eh?" The twins said in unison. "Why is that?"

Oh. Did I just seriously tell them that? Crap! I was talking as if they knew what had happened in middle school. I wouldn't be surprised if Kyoya already knew, but the other members probably didn't.

"Nevermind. Forget I said that." I mumbled, going back to eating.

Kyoya watched with an amused expression. Yeah, he definitely knew what had happened. I sighed. This sucks.

"What happened to Ri-chan's martial arts equipment?" Honey asked, wide-eyed.

"All thrown away probably," I replied with a pout. "If my parents had any of Kyoya's sense, they would have sold it."

Kyoya smiled. I guess he took that as a compliment.

"Why'd they take it away?" Honey said, regaining my attention.

I frowned. "Because they're meanies."

"Hayashi-san!"

It was the girls from last week. My frown quickly melted away and I put on a bright smile. "Hello, Sato-san, Narita-san." I got out of my seat to talk to them. Apparently they hadn't forgotten that they'd ask me what beauty product I used. Luckily, I hadn't either. We chatted for a while and I wrote down the name of the soap I used. Then I waved them goodbye and returned to my seat.

"Are you sure you're not bipolar?" Kaoru asked. I stared at him, making him squirm in his seat after a while. Then I smiled and nodded.

"Positive… Kaoru. Right?"

"Wrong!" Kaoru shouted.

"She's right." Honey said simply.

"Yay! I'm right!" I said in glee. Kaoru frowned, making a cute pouty face. Aw.

"Ri-chan, why don't you join the martial arts club then?" Honey asked sweetly. "You like martial arts right? Then you can practice all the time."

"You're right! It's a great idea!" I said, stamping my fist in my open palm a few times. "But that won't work cause my parents would have a fit if they found out!"

Honey frowned, putting on a thoughtful and almost serious face. Then he grinned. "You can come over then! We have a big dojo!"

My eyes widened at the thought. "Really? I can go over and spar with you?"

"Spar with me?" He repeated. "Yeah! Sure!"

"Wow! Cool!" I grinned. I could see Honey's house! And his dojo! "Wait, but you can't let my parents find out. Or anyone in my house for that matter."

"Why?" Honey asked innocently, still maintaining that flower producing grin.

"Uh… reasons," I said, scratching the side of my face hesitantly. "They don't want me to practice martial arts anymore."

"Eh, but didn't you use to train with your police force?"

"Yeah, used to. Heh. Heh."

"Okay! Then you should come over today!" Honey suddenly declared. "What do you think, Takashi?" Mori nodded.

"What?" Tamaki shouted, sticking his face near mine. "Rika-san is going to play with Honey-senpai?" Hey, how come he didn't call me a senpai? Hmph.

"We want to go! We want to go!" The twins chanted, arms around each other.

"Honey-senpai does live next to Rika-san afterall," Kyoya said, as if his logic could possibly combat Tamaki's lack of it.

"Can we go too?" Tamaki asked with big puppy eyes. Gosh no. I have a weakness to all cute things and Tamaki was transforming into one.

"Honey," I squealed. "Tell him no."

"Sure!" Honey shouted. "Tama-chan can come too! You guys can all come!" What? Honey, how could you do this?

"Haruhi, you come too!" Tamaki said excitedly.

"No thanks. I have to go home and study."

"Aw, but Haru-chan," Honey said, turning on his own puppy dog look. Haruhi watched with bored eyes then shook her head. Yeah. Haruhi was much better at rejecting Tamaki…

* * *

Or not.

Haruhi got dragged along with and so we were all now standing by the door of the Haninozuka mansion. I would have gone and done homework in the library if I hadn't bumped into Honey and Mori, who then insisted (well only Honey) that I come with them to the Host Club. So I'd done homework there next to Kyoya. Again.

Except he'd interrupted my homework with a spreadsheet and asked me to calculate the Host Club's expenses thus far. God, it wasn't hard but there were so many things to add.

So after I was done, I handed it to Kyoya and said, "That will be 500 yen (about $5), Kyoya."

Kyoya had looked up, seeming slightly stunned. Then he frowned and took the paper, checking over my calculations. "I'm sorry, but you did not discuss payment before you did this. Therefore, I believe no payment is due."

Ah man, really can't underestimate Kyoya. So I said, "Fair enough. Just know that the next time you'll need to cough up some money."

And he didn't bother me again!

"Come on in, everyone!" Honey shouted, kicking off his shoes and dashing into his traditional Japanese home. We followed suit. It seemed everyone else had been in here before except Haruhi and I.

"So you haven't been here before huh?" I asked Haruhi as we followed Honey on a tour of the mansion.

"Nope. It's huge." Haruhi said. "And beautiful." I nodded with a smile.

"And look, you can see Ri-chan's home from here!" Honey was saying, pointing at my house through an open door.

Eh? What?

"Wow! Rika-san, let's go to your house later!" Tamaki shouted.

"Yeah. No." I replied quickly.

"Your house is huge," Haruhi said.

"We want to see Rika-senpai's house too!" The twins shouted. I shook my head.

"Yeah!" Honey agreed, bouncing around with Usa-chan in his arms. "Ri-chan, you should invite us over someday."

"Sure. Someday." I said. Kyoya wrote something down in his black notebook. Geez, I wonder just how much blackmail information is in there.

"What's all this noise?" A voice said from behind us. I turned and found myself staring at an older looking version of Honey. He was about the same height as me, maybe a bit taller (gasp!) and he had glasses on. Plus he looked really grumpy.

"Chika-chan!" Honey shouted, whirling around with his usual grin.

Chika-chan? Click, click, click. Ding! Oh.

"You're Honey's little brother!" I said, wide-eyed. "Oh. Aren't you the one that placed first place when you were thirteen? Wow. So cool! So cool!"

"Is Rika-senpai fangirling?" I heard Hikaru ask quietly.

"I think she is." Kaoru replied.

I scowled and glared at them. "Shut up! Today is freaking amazing! I get to finally beat something up! And now I'm meeting another child prodigy!"

It got really silent.

I frowned, crossing my arms and turning away. "Well, you guys don't need to get all excited along with me."

"Mitsukuni," Chika said, still maintaining his own scowl. "Who-Who's this?" He pointed at me and then at Haruhi. I guess he met the other Host members before.

"Fujioka Haruhi, nice to meet you." Haruhi said politely, bowing.

I smiled and copied Haruhi. "Hayashi Rika."

"Eh? Hayashi Rika?" This time Chika was surprised. "Y-You're the female prodigy!" He made it sound like I was some strange species.

I frowned. "Not at all. I bet you could beat me easily."

"Really?" Honey said, bouncing over to my side. "Want to try, Ri-chan?"

"Wait, Mitsukuni," Chika said, suddenly taking on a defensive position. Honey sighed, handing me Usa-chan and mirroring his younger brother's posture. Huh? What's going on? I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Mori by my side. He gently tugged me away as everyone cleared room for the two brothers.

"Mori-san, what's going on?" I asked, hugging Usa-chan to me. It was soft and cute and smelled like… sweets. I guess that's expectable huh.

"It's the Haninozuka family tradition," Kyoya replied. "Whenever they met, they must duel each other."

"Isn't that bothersome?" I asked. "Imagine how much furniture is destroyed in the process."

Luckily the duel was brief and I wasn't surprised when Honey won. He came back to my side with a grin, looking as if he hadn't just been fighting. "Let's go to the dojo then, Ri-chan!" I nodded, holding Usa-chan out for him.

"You keep her for now!" Honey replied. "In case I meet Father."

Hm? Oh dear, I really hope we don't then.

The dojo was huge! The wooden floor was clean and nearly sparkling. Everything was so neat and orderly. And to the side, yes! Dummies! Sweet!

"Wow." I said, taking it all in. I hugged Usa-chan, squealing in excitement. "OhmyGod ohmyGod this is so freaking awesome!" I joined Honey in jumping up and down. Chika was watching from the side, probably thinking I was stupid.

"You're really weird." He said. Ah, I was right.

I grinned at him. "Want to spar then?"

He glared at me then let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. I want to see how good you are too." I frowned, as I handed Honey Usa-chan and everyone cleared room for us.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to." I replied. "Besides, I'm probably rusty. But don't go easy on me, okay? Go all out!"

Chika gave me another look that obviously said: You are really weird and I have no idea why I'm doing this. I grinned in response. "Cheer up! Don't be so uptight all the time!" He scowled some more.

"Rika-senpai," Haruhi said. "Are you going to fight in your uniform?"

Huh? Ohh…

"Ah," Chika said, as if he had just noticed too.

"It's okay." I said with a smile. "I've fought before in dresses and skirts."

"But wouldn't that put you at a disadvantage?" Hikaru asked. Well, duh. It's not easy to move around in long dresses or skirts.

"It's okay!" Honey said. "I've got a gi!" He dashed off and was back with the white outfit. "This is my size so it should fit you too!"

My size. Haha, it's Honey-sized… Wait, that means I'm Honey-sized?

"I'm Honey-sized?" I said, taking the clothes from Honey and staring at the Host Club. The twins nodded.

"Of course you are, you're just a bit taller." Kaoru said.

"And you guys are both really skinny." Hikaru said.

"You know, that means," Kaoru grinned at his twin.

"Making clothes for you," Hikaru said slowly while nodding at whatever unspoken plan that had just formulated.

"Would be super easy!"

Oh dear. What does that mean? Whatever. I'm not even going to bother. I went into the bathroom and changed quickly.

"Done! Now let's go, Chika-chan."

"Don't call me that." Chika said with another scowl as he took off his glasses. Oh, does that mean he's getting serious? Hehe, yes. Finally a fight with another person. "It's Yasuchika." Okay. I really don't care.

"Ready," Honey said. "Go!"

Did he just skip Set? Whatever. I launched myself at Chika, opting to stay low to the ground and swung a punch at his stomach. He hopped backwards to avoid, but I was already taking another step forward, swinging at his face this time.

Again, he backed up. I stood up, frowning. "Aw, come on, _Chi-chan_. Quit running away, will you? You could at least dodge or block." I grinned and saw him swallow. Is he nervous? Why?

I charged again. This time Chika blocked my blows. I attacked him with punch after punch and even though he dodged and blocked well, he was slowly being pushed back. "Stop being a wussy and punch back, Chi-chan!" I shouted. "Don't be afraid to hit me!"

"What happened to my darling daughter?" wailed Tamaki. Geez, what a dummy. What is he saying?

"Rika-senpai has a scary face on."

He finally swung an arm forward, aiming for my stomach. Good. A bruise on my stomach would go unnoticed but not one on my face. I dodged, a hand landing on the ground. Then I kicked at his feet, supporting myself with the hand. His eyes widened. He tried jumping to avoid my feet, so I twisted my body and kicked his legs, knocking him to the side.

He rolled and jumped straight to his feet.

"Nice," I said with a grin. "Aim for anything except my face okay?"

Chika frowned and lunged at me. I dodged and parried back. We started hopping around, dodging and attacking again and again.

Are we even? Or is he still holding back?

"Come on. Quit holding back!" We kept going at it for a while. I landed a blow on his upper arm, just as he caught me at the side.

"Should we stop them?" I vaguely heard Hikaru I think say.

"It's okay!" Honey said. "I think Ri-chan is good."

Then a trick popped into my mind. I'd used it before several times during my gang years. It worked wonders!

I took a step back. He followed. We were again at each other, blow against blow. Then I pulled my left knee up. Chika stumbled backwards, obviously expecting I'd get his weak spot. He lost his balance. I shot off my right foot, leaping on top of the younger boy. We fell down on the ground with a loud thud.

"Ow," Chika said, wiggling under me. "G-Get off!"

"Did I win?" I asked, perched on top of him.

Chika scowled, refusing to look me in the eye. "That wasn't fair." He mumbled. "You faked it." I grinned.

"Ri-chan wins!" Honey shouted, running to my side and pulling me off his brother.

"Chika-chan," I said, helping the boy up. "That was fun! We should do that again!" He still had on that nasty, mean expression.

"Yeah right. You played dirty didn't you?" Chika asked.

I grinned. "You can't call that dirty. It was a fake pass. I was just aiming at a usually untouched place. But what do you expect? I fought dirty for two years. Sorry about it. It's instinct and habit at this point."

"Fought dirty?" The twins echoed. I sighed. Did I just say that? Boy. My story is just slipping right out.

Then the clapping started. I turned, startled by the sound. A gruff looking man, with blond beard, mustache, and hair, stood by the doorway. He was smiling. "That was an excellent performance."

Yasuchika scoffed, turning away.

"Good afternoon, Father." Honey said with a bow. Oh. That would explain the resemblance. I bowed along with the other Host Club members.

"I'm Haninozuka Yorihisa," The old man said, looking at me expectantly.

"Hayashi Rika. A pleasure to meet you." I replied.

"A friend of Mitsukuni?" Haninozuka asked. I nodded. "Aren't you also an excellent martial artist?"

"Eh?" I chuckled, embarrassed by the attention. "No. Not really."

"To beat Yasuchika though…"

"He was obviously holding back since I'm a girl." I said easily. I turned to the younger boy. "Right, Chi-chan?"

"Tch. Of course," Chika replied, still not meeting my eyes. The Haninozuka head chuckled.

"Yasuchika is talented. Hayashi, you're the youngest daughter of the Hayashi family, yes?"

I nodded.

"My, you've certainly grown since the last time I've seen you!"

Huh? And when was that? I tilted my head in confusion. "I'm sorry. I don't really remember…"

Haninozuka chuckled again. "Of course you wouldn't. I saw you when you were just a toddler. I've been friends with your parents for years. Don't you know that I also helped out in forming your police squad?"

"Eh?" Everyone said, except Kyoya because he probably already knew. Haruhi and Mori were also silent but seemed surprised.

"Doesn't that mean Rika-senpai," Hikaru.

"Has known Honey-senpai all along?" Kaoru.

"Why are you guys getting so surprised?" Haruhi asked, glancing around at all the shocked faces (minus Kyoya and Mori as usual). "It has nothing to do with you."

Tamaki started crying, going into the corner to cultivate mushrooms again. "Haruhi is so cruel to daddy!"

"Well," Haninozuka said. "I'll leave you to your friends, Mitsukuni. Yasuchika, let's not bother them. Come on."

"Yes, Father." Chika said, following his dad as they left.

"Kyoya, did you already know this?" I asked him, as the twins went to tease Tamaki in his depressed corner.

"Of course." He replied calmly. What? My eye is twitching in annoyance. This dude probably knows more about me than I do myself!

Well, I guess it made sense. Because of business, my family had moved further south when I was younger. We'd stayed there until the scandal occurred. My parents and Kimiko moved back to the main estate, here, so that Kimiko could attend Ouran. And so that they could deal with all the trouble. Hm… But my parents never said anything about this before.

"Good job, Ri-chan!" Honey said, coming to my side.

"Thanks, Honey!" I replied with a grin.

"Want to go eat snacks now?"

"Sure!"

* * *

**So what did you guys think? Please tell me in the reviews! You can get bunny-shaped cake! More action coming up! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Impromptu sleepover at Honey's house!

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* * *

His meaning of snacks turned out to be sweets. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but most of the snacks ended up down Honey's throat. We were crowding around at the kitchen counter, sitting on the bar stools and having some cake and tea. I sat down next to the twins, while Kyoya began writing in his black notebook.

"Rika-senpai," Hikaru said. "You know, when you were fighting Chika-chan..."

"You had a really scary face on." Kaoru said.

"Like what?" I asked. "Was I smiling?" The twins glanced at each other, communicating silently. They're good at it man.

"Yeah, sort of." Hikaru finally said with an unsure smile. "It looked like… you were ready to...um, Kaoru you say it!"

Kaoru frowned. "You look like you could murder someone."

Murder someone?

"Do you mean you saw bloodlust in my eyes?" I asked them calmly. I wasn't really surprised. My smiles had been a weapon during the gang years too. A smile while beating the crap out of someone could easily scare off the rest. Made it so we didn't have to fight so many people. And the look of bloodlust… well beating people up would obviously result in some blood. I guess… Wow. I'm really demented, huh?

The twins nodded. I sighed.

"Aren't you going to tell us?" They asked in unison.

"Tell you what?"

"Why you've been fighting dirty for two years." Kaoru said.

"And why you try to act all prim and proper." Hikaru added with a smirk. I had considered it since Kyoya already knew. And I figured they weren't the kinds of people who'd just go around blabbing. But I'd trusted Goofy, and this was where I was now…

"Nah. No thanks. Some other day," I replied.

"Kyoya knows, doesn't he?" Kaoru asked quietly. Why were they still bothering me? Why didn't they go back to their usual harassment of Haruhi? Oh wait. Maybe that wouldn't be so good. Poor Haruhi. I feel for you girl!

"Of course he does. What does he _not _know?"

Hikaru grinned and chuckled. "That's true."

"Talking about me?" Kyoya asked, suddenly looming over us.

"Eep!" We squeaked. "No! Not at all!"

He smiled, adjusting his glasses. "Good."

Scary demon. Even though I trust him, he's still so scary!

"Want to try some cake, Ri-chan?" Honey asked, offering a slice of dark chocolate cake. Yes. I love dark chocolate!

"Yes! Thank you, Honey!"

I took a bite of it. It was creamy and sweet and had just the right amount of dark chocolate's bitterness to it. "Mmm… Delicious!"

"Rika-senpai likes cake too huh?" Haruhi asked with a cute smile.

I nodded, bouncing in my seat. "Of course! It's the best thing!"

"Isn't it?" Honey said with a wide grin while demolishing another huge slice of cake. It's great to eat some cake. I don't get to eat that many sweets at home anymore. Even if I could, it'd probably be some super light, small slice of fruit cake.

"Another slice!" I shouted, once I'd finished.

"Do you want to try a different flavor?" Honey asked.

"Yeah!"

This time it was a fruit cake, with peaches, strawberries, and mango! "I love mango! It's my favorite fruit!"

"Really?" Honey said. "I like strawberry best."

We kept chatting about food, moving from cake to ice cream flavors. Then we talked about cookies, chocolate, and how cupcakes just could not compare with cakes. We even talked about ice cream cakes which are really good!

Later, I left the kitchen and sparred with a dummy, as the rest of the Host Club continued talking and exploring Honey's house. There was no way I was going to miss this sort of opportunity. It was so much fun! God, I haven't fought in so long! Beating up a dummy feels great!

But then I was too full from the cake to do much, so I ended up lying on the dojo floor. Maybe I could come here another time just to spar and not eat cake. Then I could seriously spar. Yes! I decided I'd ask Honey if I could come over another time.

I headed out the dojo in search for them.

* * *

**3rd POV:**

"Rika-senpai is impressive." Hikaru said.

"She ate a lot of cake too." Kaoru said.

Haruhi giggled in agreement. "Yeah. She could probably rival Honey-senpai." The twins blushed at seeing Haruhi's cute smiling face.

"Who knew Rika-san was so good at martial arts, huh?" Tamaki said, walking alongside the others. They were on their way out the door.

"Kyoya, of course." The twins said, pointing at said smiling Host.

"Haruhi," Tamaki said, approaching the girl. "Can we go visit your house next? Please? Pretty please?"

"No way, Senpai."

And Tamaki was back in his dejected corner.

"Come on, Tono. We're leaving." The twins grabbed Tamaki and dragged him out the door. They waved goodbye and hopped into the limo waiting for them.

"Bye Honey-senpai! Bye Mori-senpai!" Haruhi said.

"Bye bye!" Honey replied with a big wave. And Mori smiled and nodded.

* * *

**Rika's POV: **

It took forever. Honey's house is so confusing! But I finally found the entrance, where Honey's dad was talking to-

Oh crap!

I darted into the closest room and peeked out of it carefully. Yup. That is most definitely a maid of the Hayashi family. I can tell by the uniform with all its absurd frills!

"Oh, what are you still doing here?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Luckily I managed not to scream. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it was just Chika. "Oh my God, don't do that!"

He stared at me while I caught my breath. Then I smiled. "Hey, Chika-chan. Could you do me a favor? You're here already anyway."

He frowned. "Why should I help you?"

"All you have to do is go get Mori and Honey over there," I said, pointing as discreetly as possible at the two standing next to Chika's dad. "Please?" I gave him my puppy eyes. "Pretty please with cherries and strawberries and mango pudding on top?"

His eyes widened, and he blushed. Aw, he's cute! He's probably a tsundere! OMG tsunderes are so cute! Wait, got to get my head out of the Otaku World.

"F-Fine! Since it's not too much trouble anyway," Chika said, turning away.

"And try not to attract too much attention, Chika-chan." I added with a smile. "Thank you!" He nodded, huffing and walking straight to Honey and Mori. He grabbed the two by the shoulders and dragged them over. Yes, talk about not attracting too much attention...

I think I heard, vaguely, him saying, "Someone needs to see you two."

"Oh, Ri-chan!" Honey said, as the four of us huddled in the small room by the entrance way. "What is it?"

"Shh, be quiet." I replied, putting a finger to my lips. Honey nodded enthusiastically. "Okay. First, has your dad said anything about me sparring?"

Honey shook his head. "Nope! Don't worry. I told Father not to say a word!"

"Great! Thanks, Honey!" I grinned. "Okay, second: Where's everyone else?"

"They already left."

"What? Already? They didn't even say bye. Such meanies." I pouted. Oh well. I'd see them tomorrow anyway. "Oh and where's my uniform?"

"Oh, isn't it still in the dojo bathroom?" Honey said.

"Ohh. Yeah. Probably. I have to change back into my clothes before I leave. I can't let anyone from my house see me in this." I said, pointing at the white uniform I was wearing. "Can you please make sure your dad doesn't say anything that might risk… destroying my image?"

"You have an image?" Chika asked.

I frowned. "That's rude."

"Eh?" Chika said, looking flustered.

"Yeah, Chika-chan. You should apologize," Honey said, mirroring my pout. Chika glanced at the two of us, then at Mori, as if Mori could save him.

"Taka-nii," Chika said pleadingly.

Aw that's a cute nickname. I giggled. "Taka-nii. Chi-chan is cute like Honey after all." Chika stared at me with big wide eyes.

"What are you saying?" He finally yelled then ran out of the room. Uh-oh. That might have just attracted attention to this room.

"Don't worry, Ri-chan! I'll go and distract the adults! Takashi will take you back to the dojo room and then back here! So you won't get lost!" Honey said fiercely and in all seriousness.

I nodded. "Okay. I leave this to you, Honey." I placed my hand on his shoulder, and we both nodded very seriously. It was like we were on some super secret special mission.

"Takashi," Honey said, turning to his cousin. "Make sure you protect Ri-chan! With your life, if necessary!" Mori simply nodded. I grinned. He was going along with our little role playing game.

"Yosh! Good luck, Honey."

* * *

**3rd POV:**

"What was that about, Mitsukuni?" Honey's dad asked, when Honey returned to his side. "And what happened to Takashi-kun?"

"He's going to get me some cake. And I was just teasing Chika-chan," Honey replied easily. He didn't care if he was lying flat out to his father. He was going to protect Ri-chan's secret at all cost! Even if he didn't know what it was, he knew she would have a good reason for keeping it. Besides, he figured his dad would understand.

* * *

**Rika's POV:**

After changing, I followed Mori back through the halls to the front door. And they were still there! Well, I don't take that long to change, but they must have been talking for at least ten minutes!

"Ri-chan!" Honey said, when Mori and I arrived. He glomped me with a hug, startling me. I patted his head a bit, staring at the unfamiliar maid. Now that I thought about it, I didn't think I'd ever seen her before. Ah, well, I had just recently moved back to the main estate.

"Hello, Rika-sama," the maid said with a gentle smile. "Shall we go home then?"

I nodded. Honey let go of me. I bowed to him and his dad. "Thank you for your hospitality today, Haninozuka-san. And thanks, Honey." I said, grinning at the younger one.

"It's nothing, bye Ri-chan." He gave a big grin and a wave. Mori stood by his side, silently waving and nodding.

"Bye. See you soon," I stuck out my tongue. "Thanks again."

I followed the maid out the door. We walked down the driveway and to the limo… Wait, why do I need to ride the limo? Our house was like… just xxx feet away.

"Come on, Rika-sama," the maid said, gesturing at the now open limo door. Okay. _That _is just weird. I started backing away. One, there were no umbrellas (for some odd reason, my parents had been quite adamant about me walking around outside with umbrellas ever since the incident) and two, there was no Azumi. Sure I didn't like her much, but I knew that she would never dare… hurt me. Or anything of the sorts.

This was plain sketchy!

"Rika-sama?" the maid said, with a tilt of her head and a hesitant tone. "Is something wrong? Are you feeling alright?"

"Um," I licked my lips nervously, taking another step back. Shouldn't I be good at lying? No. Not really. I suck at lying on the spot, impromptu. Being in a gang never really required the ability to lie well. "I think I just remembered that I left something back there. I-I'm going to go get it."

Then I turned and began running as fast as I could with those dumb brown school heels. Yes, they have heels but very small ones. They may make a fair dull weapon but are poor for running.

I heard footsteps behind me. Oh my God! What the hell is happening? I tore down the long driveway, hoping that whoever was chasing me would _not_ catch up.

"Honey!" I started yelling. Gosh. Should I save my breath or start screaming on the top of my lungs?

Arms latched around my waist. No!

I started screaming, thrashing in those arms as I was lifted off the ground. If I could just turn around… no. I slammed my head back, connecting with what I thought was someone's jaw. I heard a grunt. Ow. I think that hurt my head more than it hurt that person.

"Rika-sama! Please calm down."

Nope. I don't know this person's voice. I don't know-

A hand clamped onto my mouth, muffling my screams. Okay, this was definitely not cool. Now a handkerchief was heading my way, no doubt drugged, held by a white gloved hand. Another person? That maid? Oh my God!

"Ri-chan! Duck!"

Duck? How was I supposed to duck in this position? I ducked my head down, still wiggling around. And Honey's flying kick met with whoever was holding me. I was immediately released, dropping onto the black concrete.

I gasped, on my hands and knees. Then I felt another person scoop me up. No way in hell was I-

"It's okay."

Oh thank God it was just Mori. He put me on his shoulders and started calmly walking up the driveway, as if Honey was not behind beating the crap out of those…

I turned around. The maid was now on the ground, holding the handkerchief. She had her arms up in surrender. The other person was… holy moly! He was a buff and rather short dude with tan skin and black sunglasses on. And he was bald! He was dressed in a butler's uniform but no way would my parents ever hire someone like him! He had an odd scar on the top of his head too, shaped somewhat like a crescent moon. Who?

"Are you okay, Ri-chan?" Honey asked, running up behind Mori. I swallowed, wide-eyed, and nodded. The special Haninozuka security team or who knows what was now swarming the site and grabbing the two.

"Wh-Who are they?" I finally managed to say as we entered the home again.

"You don't know them?" Honey said. Mori set me down gently at the entrance. I took off my shoes and sat there, staring. Then I shook my head slowly.

"No. No, I've never seen them." I stared at my white-socked feet. I should call my parents and tell them about this. Or Kimiko. Or maybe even Azumi. But after seeing those people, I was scared of my own home. That lady had been dressed in the Hayashi maid uniform. How could she have gotten that? There were only two possibilities: she either _was_ a maid of our house or she had gotten it from someone that worked for our house. There was no other way.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Honey said, kneeling next to me. He placed his hand on my forehead. "Come on, Ri-chan. Maybe you should go see the doctor." He tugged on my arm. No. I don't need a doctor.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Do you want to call your house?" Honey tried again.

I shook my head. "No. I… I don't want to go back now. That was really… scary." I stood up, grabbing onto Honey's hand.

"Doctor then?"

"Sure."

Honey guided me through his home to where their doctor was. I guess I wasn't surprised. There were probably frequent injuries from all the kendo, judo, martial arts, etc. practices.

"-probably going in shock."

I blinked. What?

"Some rest should do." The doctor was saying. When did we get here? Why was I sitting here? Maybe I should go home. What if Kimiko was in danger too?

I stood up. "Honey, I think I should go home."

"What, why? Didn't you say you didn't want to?" He stood up next to me. Had he grown? Maybe he was starting to catch up to my height.

I sighed. "What if Kimiko's in danger? What if something happened?"

"Get her some rest first," the doctor said.

"Want to take a nap, Ri-chan?" Honey asked cheerily. I shook my head. I was just staring at the floor, eyes unfocused. What was I doing here? Well, actually, I did feel a bit tired. Maybe I'll- no! Kimiko!

"Ri-chan." Honey's voice brought my gaze up to him. He smiled at me sweetly, extending an arm over, before all went black.

* * *

**3rd POV:**

Rika still hadn't woken up. Honey was getting worried. Maybe he'd pressed the pressure point too much. He'd only intended for her to get a few hours of rest. His dad had already called her parents, and both sides had agreed that it'd be safer, for the time being, that she stayed with them. Her parents had never seen either of the two (pictures had been sent) and were going to investigate this incident. They believed though that Kimiko would be fine. For reasons that Honey was not told, it seemed that if any of their children would be targeted, it was far more likely that Rika would be the one.

Honey now sat on his bed next to a dozing Rika. He played with her black hair. It was loose now, with her red bow lying near her head. He wondered what the bow was for. She seemed to wear it every single day.

"Ah."

"Rika!"

Rika's eyes opened slowly. They focused on the blond haired boy in front of her. She yawned and stretched. She liked where she was. It was warm, cozy, and comfortable. But no, she should get up.

She sat up, running her hand through her hair-

Her eyes widened. "My bow!"

"Here," Honey said, holding out the red cloth to her. She let out a sigh of relief, taking it back with a small smile.

"Thanks." She tied it around her wrist now. A safe place.

"Is it special?" Honey asked. She nodded. "Are you feeling better?"

"Huh? Oh." She looked at him and nodded. "Yeah." She smiled. But she was still tired. She wanted some more sleep. "Where am I?" She looked around the room. Some many stuffed animals!

"My room."

"Wow! You have a ton of stuffed animals!"

It was pink, not surprisingly, and the bed was filled with animals. Teddy bears, bunnies, dogs, cats, and every animal you could think of. Penguins, pandas, tigers, and even a raccoon.

"Here's Usa-chan!" Honey said, holding the pink bunny out to her. She smiled, taking it in her hands.

"Where did you get Usa-chan from?"

"My grandma made it for me."

"That's cool." She smiled softly, playing with Usa-chan's hands. "She's very cute." She glanced at the stuffed animals. Then she picked up a nearby teddy bear. "This one is cute too." Its light brown fur was super soft and almost curly.

"Do you want him?"

"What? No way."

"Y-You don't want Hiro-chan?" Honey said with a horrified look. "Hiro-chan is sad now." He pouted at Rika, knowing that would do the trick.

"Eh? No. I just mean, I can't take what's yours." Rika said, frantically denying.

"Says who?"

"Uh… well. More like, I don't need-"

"Hiro-chan," Honey said, leaning down to the bear. "Rika-chan just said she doesn't need you." He looked back up at Rika. "Hiro-chan is really sad now."

"Honey!" Rika said, giving up.

He grinned. "If you want to take Hiro-chan, go ahead!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay then." Rika smiled. Then her stomach growled. "Um… heh. Is there dinner?" Honey grinned, seeing her flushing face.

"Yeah! Come on! Let's go eat! You can leave Hiro-chan here for now. We'll come back up." He grabbed her hand and they ran to the dining room.

Wait. It finally processed in Rika's mind. She'd be staying over at Honey's?

* * *

**That's it! Thanks for reading!**

**Should I try this?**

**Rika: Oi, review. Or else. Mwahahahaha!  
**

**Review please! **


	7. To wake Honey up--And hosting?

**Hello all! Thanks again for all the follows and favorites! You guys are probably getting tired of reading this... if you are. Anyway, here's the next chapter! :) Sorry it's so short, but there's more HoneyXRika. Hope you like it!**

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**Happy Valentine's Day everyone! **

* * *

**Rika's POV:**

"Um, I don't have any of my clothes with me…" I blushed, turning away from Honey. What was I doing here? With a boy too. Gahh!

"That's okay! Want some of my pajamas?"

What? "N-No, that's fine." But Honey had already left the room. Wearing Honey's clothes? Oh my God, that's like something from a manga! It's totally something from-

"Here," he handed me a set of pink pajamas. He smiled. "We do have extra clothes you know." So they weren't Honey's… Was I disappointed? No! What was I thinking?

"Thanks."

Later, I found that I could just sleep with Honey. What? I stared at him, jaw dropped. "Uh… the two of us?"

He nodded, already tucked under the bed. "Come on! There's school tomorrow you know." He yawned. "Aren't you tired?"

I nodded and slipped under the warm covers. Usa-chan and Hiro-chan were lying next to us. Honey turned the nearby light off, snuggling over to me. I sighed, closing my eyes. It was really comfortable here. And I felt safe. Safe and calm, at peace and happy. I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Um… My eyes fluttered opened. I was still half asleep, but I was vaguely aware of something wrapped around me. I turned to my left and saw Honey sleeping quietly next to me. He was really close, like maybe a few inches away.

OMG, he's hugging me?

Well that woke me up quickly...

He had his skinny arms wrapped around me, pulling me close to him. I could feel him against me. His head was lying on top of mine and one of his legs were tangled with mine. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but my cheeks were burning at the realization.

I have never slept this close next to a guy. Heck, I've never been hugged by a guy like this! Sure the twins, Tamaki too, knew nothing about personal space, but… uh…

I wiggled around for a while, trying to escape. But his arms had an iron grip. Even though he's sleeping? I'm not surprised he's strong but this strong? I sighed. Ah whatever. I was tired, and I still wanted to sleep. Plus Honey felt really warm. I curled myself into him. He was probably using me like a human Usa-chan but whatever. I closed my eyes, sighing, as my head rested against his neck.

* * *

**3rd POV:**

Mori sighed. One thing he hated doing every morning was wake Honey up. Alarm clocks had long been useless. Honey would either ignore the irritating ringing noise or destroy the alarm clock with a single fist.

Now he stood in front of Honey's door taking a deep breath. Luckily he'd been waking Honey up for years that it wasn't too terrible anymore. He opened the door, walking in quietly.

There was Honey. And Rika.

And they were snuggled together. There was barely any space between the two. Mori walked over to Honey's side of the bed with a small smile. He knew how fond Honey was of Rika. Maybe with Rika's presence, Honey could wake up faster and more easily.

Or… since Rika was in Honey's grip, he might accidentally hurt her.

Mori started shaking Honey gently. "Mitsukuni. Wake up." He said softly.

Honey groaned, annoyed. "Ugh." He turned away from Mori, burrowing his face into a nearby soft thing. It smelled nice.

And it was Rika's hair.

Rika stirred but didn't wake up. Mori watched, amused. He shook Honey again. "Wake up, Mitsukuni. School time."

Honey ignored his cousin's persistent actions. So Mori turned to the other still asleep person. "Rika, please wake up." He shook her. Her head rolled towards Honey's as she opened her eyes.

Wah! Rika thought, eyes widening. She was instantly awake. Honey's face was… like probably barely any centimeters away. She blushed and then noticed Mori towering over the pair with a warm smile.

"Ah!" she squeaked, slightly embarrassed. "G-Good morning, Mori-san!"

His smile widened just a bit. Honey stirred now. His eyes opened just a crack. Rika stared at his brown eyes opened. They were dark, like a terrible storm at sea. He wasn't exactly glaring at her, but she still felt frightened.

"Honey. Wake up," Rika said. This was not the Honey she knew.

His eyes widened just a bit and the darkness in those eyes receded. He stared at her through the foggy haze of sleepiness. It was nice to wake up and see her. If the first thing he saw every morning was her face, he would be very happy. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to have to let go of her yet and neither did he want to go to school. He snuggled into her once again.

"H-Honey, what are you doing?"

Mori had already left the two of them alone. He figured Rika would probably be able to wake Honey up without much difficulty. Now he was pulling out Honey's uniform and laying it on a nearby chair.

"Rika," he said. She glanced at him, still lying in bed because of Honey's tight grip around her. He pointed at Honey's uniform. "Breakfast is downstairs." Then he left.

"Mori-san! How can you just leave me here with him?" Her protest was cut short as Mori shut the door quietly behind him. He smiled and headed toward the staircase.

Rika sighed and frowned.

"Honey. Wake up. Now." She said, trying out a demanding and authoritative tone. Honey smiled, pulling her even closer to him. He decided that he would not listen until she called him by his first name. _Since she's already calling Chika-chan by his first name, she should call me by my first name too. _He thought, smiling.

"Honey, I know you're already awake. So get up and let go of me. Please."

Nope. Honey shook his head slightly.

"Honey, stop being difficult. And stubborn. And a little rich brat." Now she was trying insults. "You idiot."

Nope. Honey would not fall for that. Besides, he knew she didn't mean any of it. Rika sighed, crossing her arms while glaring at the ceiling.

"Honey, I will throw Usa-chan out the window." Nah, she would never do that. Besides, Usa-chan was on the other side of Honey, well out of Rika's reach. Honey tightened his arms around her though. He didn't really want to risk it.

"Honey!"

"You smell nice." He replied in turn.

She blushed. Fine. If he wanted to be like that, then she could join in. What might send him over the edge? Something so startling that he'd hop straight out of bed.

"You do too," she said, starting off easy. "You smell sweet. Like vanilla cake." Honey giggled. What was she trying to do?

"Your hair is soft," he said, eyes still shut. Seeing her this close to him would surely make him blush. "Rika."

Wow! Her face flamed up again. The way he said her name, he was obviously teasing her. Fine. Okay. Be that way. "Mit. Su. Ku. Ni." She carefully pronounced each syllable in a sweet voice. "_Get up!_" She screamed.

That scared Honey. He jolted up, pulling Rika along with him. He still hadn't let go. Rika watched his wide eyes turn to her. He grinned and she joined in. Both were blushing. They started laughing, sitting there on his bed, pointing at each other's startled and red faces.

Rika hadn't felt this happy in a while.

* * *

**Rika's POV:**

School was boring as usual. I spent class time taking short naps and doodling. Sometimes I'd read my current book about mammals found in the North checked out from the library. There was a range of reindeer to bears to penguins.

"What are you reading, Ri-chan?" Honey asked as we were making out way to the cafeteria. There were a lot of pictures and information about the animals and I showed him a picture of a bunny.

"It's a book about animals. I'm done though so I'm going to return it." I closed the book, veering off our path. "I'll see you guys later."

"Okay. Bye, bye!"

The library was, as usual, fairly empty. After returning the book, I went to the first aisle to pick up my next book. Yes, I was going through the entire school library. This would be much more difficult since Ouran's library was huge! It was probably ten times larger than the one at the boarding school. And I only had a year to get through all these books. It's a shame not a lot of people like the library. And it's a greater shame that they have zero manga books here.

I took off the next three books. Still about animals. Whatever, a lot of them are cute and fluffy looking. I checked them out and was on my way out when I spotted a familiar brown-haired person.

"Haruhi!" I said, walking over to where she sat bent over a textbook. She looked up and smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Studying," she replied, returning her attention to the book in front of her. She had notes laid out across the table. They were really neat too. "Since eating lunch with the Host Club makes this impossible."

I chuckled in agreement. That was true. "May I sit here then?"

She looked up again and nodded. "Of course."

"I'll just read here." I said, opening up the first book. She nodded with another smile. This book was about the mammals in the South. Oh my God. I hope I don't get too bored with it.

About twenty or so minutes into my reading, I heard some noisy students enter the library. So loud. Don't they know the library is a nice and quiet place?

"Ri-chan! Haru-chan!"

"So they were here!" mused two voices.

"My daughters!"

…

Frick.

The Host Club immediately swarmed Haruhi and I's table. Seriously, they can't leave us (more like Haruhi) alone for like twenty minutes? Maybe my disappearance also further alarmed them. I sighed, trying to keep my attention on the book in front of me.

"Hey, Rika-senpai." The twins said, sticking their heads on my shoulders. "Whatcha reading?"

"A book," I replied. My ability to state the obvious is probably the one and only thing I share with Kimiko.

"Guys, this is a library." Haruhi said angrily, glaring at the three troublemakers. "Keep it down!" The three guys blushed very faintly, probably thinking Haruhi's angry face was cute. I agree. It is.

"But Haruhi," Tamaki said, wiggling around as usual. "We just wanted to see you!"

"That is no excuse for disturbing the library and the other students here." Haruhi replied sharply. "Please leave before you start bothering others."

Tamaki seemed to brighten when Haruhi said this. He turned around to a nearby girl, who'd been watching. "Oh, I'm not bothering you," he said, cupping her chin in his hand gently. "Am I?"

The girl blushed madly. Oh my God. They fall for that charm? The girl shook her head furiously, probably far too nervous to say anything. Tamaki smiled, then noticed the group of girls starting to gather.

"If I had known such beauties were in the library," Tamaki said, still continuing with his princely charm. "I would have come here far more often."

Oh God that is so cheesy!

Kyoya was writing in his black notebook. The twins had somehow managed to start up a twincest act between them. Seriously? Honey was eating cake with Mori at the table next to ours. _Seriously?!_ This was _no_t Host Club hours, and yet, they were immediately turning into Hosts! And why were they eating in the library?

Even Haruhi was chatting amiably with the girls. Oh God. I buried my face into my arms. This is disastrous.

"Oh, you're Hayashi-san, right?" One girl asked, tapping my shoulder gently. I looked up, smiling automatically.

"Yes. And," I studied the girl in front of me. I think she was in one of my classes. Quickly I sought my brain. "With such a pretty face," I said, stalling for time, "You must be Ishii-san. Yes?" Her face brightened immediately. She had short, neat brown hair and bright hazel eyes.

She smiled. "Yes! And, thanks."

She sat down next to me. Wait, don't tell me I have to host too? Chat with her like Haruhi? We started talking. It was all small talk. I asked her about her hobbies. She liked playing soccer! Ooh, me too. She even told me, very quietly and while blushing, that she was an otaku. Me too! But she liked reading yaoi manga. Geez, can't agree with that, but I guess I understand.

Before I knew it, other girls had gathered around me and we were all talking about… girl stuff, I guess. Well not really. We talked about books, since most of them were bookworms like me. Genres we liked, authors we liked, things we didn't like. It was actually pretty fun. Plus, hanging out with some girls should be good for me since I've been with guys for the most part.

Then lunch came to an end and we had to disperse.

I followed after the Host Club as we made our way out. "Hey, Kyoya. Did you earn some money back there?"

He smirked at me. "Of course."

"How much?"

"6,300 yen."***** He said. "Although there weren't many girls and it was an informal Host Club session, we still earned quite a bit. You were a surprising part in this."

"I was, now wasn't I?" I smiled, scheming already. "Say, Kyoya. Do you still think I should join the Host Club?"

"Yes. You would do well as a female Host, especially after what I just saw." he replied calmly, pushing up his glasses. "The girls who were talking to you are not regulars at the Host Club. But if you were to join, I'm sure they would become regulars."

"But, Kyoya, I have a condition." He didn't seem surprised at all. "I'll host people, _however_, any profit the club gets in which I play a part of, I get 5% of it. And another 5% of the profit will go into paying off Haruhi's debt, to speed up the process."

"Hm…"

"And I'll be willing to do paperwork and calculations for you."

"But?"

Ah, Kyoya knew me well. I smiled. "Only five sheets of calculations per week, and they must be printed in 12 pt font. Basically you can't try to jam more than one sheet onto one sheet. Any more and you'll have to pay 2000 yen per sheet. What do you think?" I crossed my arms, studying Kyoya. Would he take the offer? Was I worth it?

"Let me think it through." He finally said. "I'll write a contract for it and give it to you tomorrow."

"Okay! See you then!" And I headed off to class where I'd probably just read my books. I did want to go through the entire library.

* * *

*** It's about 63 USD. If you want to convert from Yen to USD, just like move the decimal two places to the left. Or should I just use American money? :) **

**Review please! I would REALLY love to hear your opinion. Or anything for that matter. And thanks for reading!**


	8. What? Kimiko is evolving!

**Wow! Eighth chapter already! Woo! Thanks for all the follows and favorites!**

**Thanks MokonaBookworm, crazyman90, and DreamTrance14. Yen it shall stay! :D Any thoughts on the inches thing? **

**Luna Kiyomizu: Actually I totally didn't think about her having a type. Thanks for reminding me! :P **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Rika," Kimiko was in front of me again, huffing angrily as usual. Seriously, what is with her? Maybe she should go and take some anger management classes.

"Yes, onee-san?" I was lying on my bed, reading my books again.

"You still haven't told me what club you joined!" She said, pointing at me accusingly. This again? I was attacked yesterday by some weirdos, and this is all she cares about?

"Kimiko-nee," I said, rolling onto my side. "I already told you that I haven't joined a club."

"Well you have to join one," she said, crossing her arms. "Mom and Dad want you to. And they want you to tell me or tell them what club you joined. Besides, aren't you staying after school a lot?"

"Yeah. I just go to the library and do my homework. That's all." I stared at her upside down. She was still standing in the doorway. Kimiko was like this. For some reason, she didn't really like coming into my room.

"You can take all the time you have and put it into a club, you know." She stepped a bit into the room, closing the door behind her. Woah. What is she doing? I flipped back onto my stomach and sat up. I had to be on my guard now that she had fully entered my room.

"What about friends?" She asked me, sitting down on the light pink, cushioned stool that was part of my stupid bright pink vanity. I had it covered by a yellow sheet because its pink color was just too glaringly ugly. Plus I don't use it.

"I have friends," I said.

"Give me their names." She demanded, leaning forward. Why does she want to know? Why does she even care?

I sighed and listed off the Host Club members' names. "And there's Tsukino Shuji."

"Another _guy_?" Kimiko said, sounding appalled and shocked at the same time. Oh she must be jealous. I smiled, trying to not become smug. She always had trouble with guys, probably because she's so girly and self-conscious of them.

"Well, no. There's also Yukimura Naoko, a girl, and Ishii Hanako. And why do you even want to know, nee-san?"

She crossed her legs. "Obviously because I care about you, Rika. What if you became friends with the wrong sort of people?"

"Who exactly are the wrong sort of people?" She should stop lying, I thought, because it was obvious she didn't care. When had she ever cared about me anyway?

"Hmm, like," She stared at my white ceiling, trying to find the right words. "People who cause trouble. You don't want to get in trouble, do you?" She eyed me carefully. I shook my head. "People who skip class, who have ulterior motives, who would befriend you just because of who our parents are."

Oh. The last one actually made sense. Well, a lot of people have ulterior motives, so it'd be hard not to befriend some of them. Besides, some people's motives aren't bad. And what rich kid would skip class? Okay, it's possible. But their parents would most likely not let them.

"You know, that does make sense." I told her, musing over it. "But… Ah, whatever. Who cares? What are they going to get from me huh? I'm broke, for Pete's sake." I rolled back over, staring at my ceiling.

"They don't know that."

"No harm in them not knowing."

"I suppose."

"Don't you have better things to do, Kimiko?"

"Then talking to you? I probably do."

"Why don't you go and do whatever it is then?"

"I don't feel like it."

I felt her sit on my bed, just the edge of it. But it was starting to creep me out. Kimiko sitting on my bed? Only like XXX feet away from me? How is this happening?

"Kimiko, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you very much. Shouldn't you be the one resting?"

Okay. That's totally not sketchy at all? She wants me to sleep? While she's like _right_ there? I sat up, as my guard shot up again. Something was weird and something was wrong. Maybe I should have stayed another night with Honey!

"Why should I?"

"Because of what happened yesterday," she said, staring at me like I was the one suddenly acting wacko. I kept up with her chatter though. We talked about simple things, like what I was reading, school, the teachers and classmates. She shared with me some stories about when she was at Ouran and some tips for class. I didn't really need them since classes were a breeze right now, but I guess I appreciated her efforts. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer. What was going on?

"Okay, what do you want?" I asked, sitting down next to her. She gave me that you-are-so-weird-and-I-have-no-idea-what-you-are-talking-about gaze. I stared back. "Come on. Tell me why you're acting this way." She sighed, staring at her red-socked feet.

"What do you mean?"

I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. "Like talking to me like this all the sudden. We're actually having a simple conversation without any yelling or anger. You know, we're like being… normal siblings. Sort of." Even though siblings wouldn't talk this stiffly. It'd more relaxed, simple, and easy flowing.

She frowned, pursing her lips. "Well, if you really want to know… I talked to Mom and Dad last night." Oh dear. Here we go again.

"And?"

"And they told me what happened to you yesterday, like how those people had been trying to kidnap you." Okay, I didn't know anything about kidnapping. But I guess it was reasonable. But why would they want to kidnap me? To ransom me? Then why would Kimiko not be much of a target?

"And?" I said.

"They said that you wouldn't be safe at home, at least, not as safe as before." She said slowly, still staring at her feet. "And, I figured that, if you were with me…"

"If I was with you…?"

"You'd be safer. Because then-then, if anyone did try to attack you, I'd be there, you know? I'd be there and maybe I could help. Maybe I could protect you." Kimiko was suddenly talking quickly, rambling almost. "Because they said that you probably wouldn't trust any of the servants in our house after that, and that we should, no, _would_ have to be careful after that. And-And, maybe you don't really trust me because I'm not a good sister. Because I've always been so, you know, not nice really to you. B-But I still don't want you to get hurt. Or kidnapped or anything like that. No matter what, you're still family. So I thought that maybe, if I was around you, th-then I could always at least get help." She took in a deep breath of air.

Wow. Kimiko really thought that?

"Thanks," I said, smiling at her genuinely. "You thought up of that all by yourself right? Mom and Dad didn't tell you that right?"

She shook her head, as a light pink color dusted her cheeks. Aw, Kimiko can be cute too. Sometimes.

"Thank you." I said. "Thank you, Kimiko-nee. And you are a good sister, for thinking of this."

She looked at me slowly, eyes wide. Then she nodded slowly. "I-It's nothing. I'm going to go to sleep now!" Then she darted out of my room quickly. Hm, how come I've never seen this side of my sister before?

Whatever, I stretched out on my bed. I'd just read a bit more then go to sleep.

* * *

**3rd POV:**

"I'm sending you, my daughter, to become her friend. All you have to do is get information. Don't worry, I'm not asking you to hurt her or anything."

"Yes, Father. Is there anything else?"

"Here are her files. Read them through thoroughly, understand? Don't give anything away. If my plan does not work, then our company will go bankrupt. Do you understand what is at stake here?"

"Yes, Father."

"And do you understand _why_ we are doing this?"

"Yes, Father."

"Tell me why."

"Because Hayashi Sweets is too powerful and too wealthy. If we don't attack it, we'll just get crushed by its force."

"And how are we going to attack it?"

"We are going to attack it by cutting away its one and only successor."

* * *

**Rika's POV:**

Kyoya was impressive. He had a three page contract for me to sign. I sighed, reading through it thoroughly. It was basically what I had said yesterday: I'd participate in all club activities, like hosting, serving tea, et cetera and in return, I'd get 5% of the clubs profit, paid to me by either cash or check. Any profit that I didn't take part in, I won't get the 5%. Another 5% of the profit which Haruhi partakes in will go into paying off her debt, and this did not affect the way that Haruhi had been paying off her debt before. There is a max of 5 sheets of calculations per week, no morphing the papers to fit more than usual on one. Any over 5 sheets and I get paid… damn, only 1500 yen per sheet? Aw, that sucks. Whatever, works for me.

"Agree?" Kyoya asked. I nodded, scribbling my lame signature on the page before returning it to him.

"Agreed." I smiled. It was after school, and I was once again hanging out with the Host Club. Joy.

"You start tomorrow then," he replied with a smile as he tucked the contract away. I sat down next to him with my homework. Homework's a pain.

Then my cellphone started ringing.

"Kimiko-nee?"

"Rika, where are you right now?"

I was on guard immediately. Her voice might not have sounded scared or hasty, but the question she was asking was certainly odd.

"At school," I replied evenly.

"With who?"

I glanced around the room. There were a ton of girls and the Host Club. "A good amount of people. Classmates and some friends."

"Is that Haninozuka kid nearby?"

"Yeah," I said. "Why?"

She let out a sigh (of relief?) and said, "Can I talk to him?" Uh, that's not fishy at all? What was Kimiko doing?

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to him," she said. Oh, _really_ now. Like I didn't just figure that one out. Then she sighed. "Nevermind actually. Where are you? A classroom? Club room? The library?"

"Club room. Well, it's Music Room #3, bu-"

"Okay. I'll be there in a minute." And she hung up. What the eff? I shrugged, putting my phone away. Whatever. She'd be here, and she could explain. I turned back to my Calculus homework. Ugh, I hate math.

The club room doors opened a few moments later, quickly attracting the attention of the Hosts. There was only a few more minutes left before they officially closed, so everyone was curious as to who was coming.

The doors opened, revealing a girl wearing dark blue skinny jeans and a loose forest green sweater. Yeah, her taste in fashion wasn't the best. Her long black hair was in a French braid.

Kimiko.

She surveyed the room, taking in the girls sitting around the Hosts, drinking tea, blushing madly, and giggling. The Hosts had noticed her though.

Then she spotted me, sitting with Kyoya and homework at the table. I raised my eyebrows at her. She certainly knew how to make an entrance… not really.

She marched straight towards me.

"Hello, Princess, I've never seen your beautiful face around," Tamaki said, having elegantly glided over to my sister. He pulled a rose out of thin air and presented it to her with a flirtatious smile. Kimiko's eyes widened, but she took it anyway.

"Thank you," she said. "But, um, you're kind of in my way." She was staring at me, and I was staring right back. Tamaki turned and saw Kyoya and I sitting there.

"Oh, so you are here to designate the Cool Type." Tamaki said, looking amused. "But the Club will end soon, dear Princess."

"That's fine, and please don't call me princess." Kimiko said with a smile before walking over to me. Tamaki look shocked and I couldn't help but giggle when I saw his devastated expression.

"Which one is the Haninozuka boy?" That was the first thing Kimiko said to me. No hello? Wow and I'd thought we had bonded yesterday.

"Uh, care to tell me what you want with him first?" I said.

"Hayashi Kimiko. It's a pleasure to see you again." Kyoya said, standing to bow at my sis a bit before smiling at her.

Kimiko kept her level gaze. Wow! When was she able to be so cool? This is amazing and awesome! Maybe it's a natural phenomena? No wait, it's more likely to be an _un_natural phenomena. Like, maybe she got zapped with some special radioactivity! Or has she finally leveled up? Evolved?

"You're a friend of Rika's," she said. Ah, no, maybe she _hadn't_ changed that much. Still a master of stating the obvious. Kyoya nodded. Then she tilted her head. "And I know you?"

"You don't remember Kyoya?" I said, astonished.

"Kyoya?" She glanced at me.

I nodded. "Yeah. When we were kids, we used to hang out a lot…" I perused my old memories, trying to remember if that was true or not. "Wait, so maybe you weren't that close to Kyoya, but you've certainly met him before."

"I think I remember you," Kimiko said. Then she shrugged. "Oh whatever, just tell me which one of these boys here is Haninozuka."

"Tell me first," I stood up too, "why you want to see him."

"He's the small blond one over there eating cake," Kyoya said, pointing in Honey's direction.

"Oh my God, you traitor!" I shouted angrily. Kyoya smiled smugly as Kimiko left. I started to run over to where they were-

No. I was stopped by Kyoya's hand wrapped around my wrist. He didn't have a very strong grip but something about it told me it'd be better if I didn't resist. I turned around slowly. He smiled at me charmingly.

"Sit down please, Rika-san."

"You know, you don't have to keep calling me Rika-san." I said with a blank face. "You can just call me Rika-chan or Rika."

"What?" It'd dropped his guard but not his hand. Damn. Worth a shot though. He smiled again. "Please sit down then. Rika."

"Please let go of me then. Kyoya."

"After you sit."

"Why are you stopping me?"

"Because, I know why your sister is here."

"Want to tell me then?"

"No. Your sister should tell you."

"Why are you stopping me then? I want to know. I want to go and ask her. _Why _are you stopping me?"

"You can ask her after she's done talking with Honey-senpai." Kyoya said. I stared at his dark eyes, and he stared right on back. We were like this for a while, having a quiet staring contest.

We held it for a while before Kyoya said. "Sit down, Rika." He tugged on my arm. I swallowed. This was infuriating me. I had to contain my growing anger. Kyoya seemed to notice because he smiled faintly.

"I'm sure she'll tell you." He said, in a much more gentler tone.

"Does it have to do with me?" I asked in a thick voice, staring at the table and now avoiding Kyoya's gaze.

"Yes."

"Do you know what happened after you guys left at Honey's place?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"You were attacked, almost kidnapped."

Dang. He did know. I'd been hoping he didn't know. "How do you know?" There was no way something like that would pop up on my file. Stuff like that wasn't recorded, plus it had happened really recently.

He sighed quietly. I saw, from the corner of my eye, him turn away from me. "I was told what happened."

"By who?"

Silence. Who was it? Honey? My parents? Or maybe even Kimiko? No, she didn't even remember him.

"Who, Kyoya? Tell me that at least." I turned back to face him.

…

"Was it Honey? Or my parents?"  
…

…

…

"Damn it Kyoya, tell me!" I yelled, grabbing the collar of his uniform with my free hand and shoving my face close to his. I glared at him, feeling the rest of my anger fighting to burst out. I was so frustrated, I wanted to beat the crap out of something. Anything. What the hell was going on? Why wasn't he saying anything?

"Your parents," he finally said.

I sighed, relaxing my grip. He still had his hand wrapped around my wrist. "Care to let go now, Kyoya?"

"No, not until you sit down."

The Host Club was coming to an end and the guests were filtering out. I knew some of them were staring at me. I was still holding onto Kyoya's collar and bent down near him. Luckily, none of them could see my angry face.

"Rika-senpai," I heard Hikaru say.

"What's going on?" Kaoru asked. The club room door closed and a quiet settled into the room. The twins wrapped their arms around my shoulders and pulled me up. Finally, I let go of Kyoya's collar, and he let go of my wrist.

I wrenched away from the twins' grips and dashed towards my sister. She was sitting next to Honey and talking to him.

"What are you guys talking about?" I demanded, screeching to an abrupt stop in front of them.

Honey smiled playfully. "A secret."

My eyes narrowed. I was not going to deal with this stupid secret. If it had to do with me, then I had the right to hear what is was. Plus I figured it had something to do with what happened recently.

"Tell me what it is," I said.

Honey stopped smiling, but his eyes remained that light color. He could probably see that I was being serious. "Secrets aren't supposed to be told easily, you know, Rika."

"Kimiko," I said, turning to my sister. She just smiled at me. "Kyoya said you'd tell me."

She shook her head. "Sorry but I don't think I will."

Oh. She was enjoying it. She was enjoying having something to hold over me. And here I'd been thinking something had changed.

"Fine." I said. "See you guys then." I grabbed my school bag and left without another word. If they were going to be like this, then they could. Screw the stupid contract. I wasn't going to join the Host Club until Kyoya or Kimiko said something.

* * *

**Ehh, everything just turned so dark and gloomy... **

**That last part was kind of KyoyaXRika. I don't know why, it just sort of happened. Heh. Heh.**

**Has anybody been watching the Winter Olympics? And what do you guys think of Kimiko so far? Good? Bad?  
**

**Thanks for reading! :D REVIEW! PLEASE! WITH CHERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES AND OREOS AND ANY FRUIT OR FOOD YOU CAN THINK OF ON TOP!**


	9. Resolution! I meet a new girl

**Chapter 9! Thanks for the follows and faves! **

**And thanks DreamTrance14 and Guest Aisha for the reviews :D Here's another chapter. Hope you guys like it! **

**T for language. Watch out this chapter! :P**

* * *

**3rd POV:**

"You start school on Monday, daughter. Make sure you get along with her."

"Yes Father."

"Go and check out the school. There probably aren't a lot of people there right now."

"Yes Father."

"Be careful. Use your brain."

"Yes Father."

* * *

**Rika's POV:**

After my last class, I packed up my books and left the room as quickly as possible. I was not going to stay after school today. But instead of calling Azumi to send the car, I walked out of the school gates and turned left.

I sighed, trekking quietly down the sidewalk. After a while, I found the small park. There was a wide open, grassy field dotted with wildflowers along with a play structure and swings on the dirt part of the park. It was a nice clear day, cool and just a bit windy. The sun was warm on my face. It was already late spring. I couldn't wait for summer break. I could probably ask Mom and Dad for a vacation, all by myself, somewhere far, far away from here. I sat down on the swing and started swinging. I was not going to go home for a while.

_Ring._

I stopped swinging and found my phone in my bag. Kimiko. I tossed the phone back into my backpack. Screw it all. Instead, I sat on the swing and read my books.

"Rika-senpai?"

Huh? Who? I looked up and found Haruhi standing in front of me, carrying a paper bag loaded with-

"Instant coffee?" I said, eyes widening. Akane had loved that stuff.

Haruhi nodded. "Yeah. Have you ever had some before?"

"Uh-huh," I nodded and smiled at the resurfacing memories. "It's pretty good. Can't beat hot chocolate though."

She grinned, sitting down at the swing next to me. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to officially join the Host Club today."

"I was supposed to, but forget it." I replied with a sigh.

"What happened?"

Aw, Haruhi's so innocent. I smiled. "It's nothing to worry about."

"Does it have something to do with that attack?"

I nearly fell out of the swing, and I stuttered in shock. "Wh-What? How do you know too?"

"Kyoya-senpai told us all. Honey-senpai did too."

"My God!" was all I could say.

"What's wrong with letting us know?" Haruhi asked, swinging her legs and kicking at the dirt. "You'll be safer this way too. We'll know to help watch out."

"Yeah but…" It was too much. Telling them all this crap even though I'd only known them for like two weeks, even less actually. Why should they have to watch out for me? We were barely even… friends!

Besides, how did anyone know that I might get kidnapped again? What if that had just been a one deal thing? They were being stupid.

"Never mind, it's fine." I said with a resigned sigh.

"Want to come with me?" Haruhi got up and scooped up the bag of instant coffee. "The club will miss you. Plus wouldn't you be going against the contract you signed?"

"It's fine."

"Okay then. Bye Rika-senpai." Haruhi waved with her sweet smile.

"Yeah. Thanks, Haruhi, bye." I waved back and watched as she walked away. Well, time to go! I had no doubt that Haruhi would tell the others where I was. She was very honest and blunt after all.

I grabbed my school bag and ran out of the park.

* * *

Ouch.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I didn't see you there!"

I looked up from my place on the ground to where a girl stood in front of me. And I thought running into people like this only existed in mangas.

"It's fine," I said, standing up and brushing at my dress. The girl picked up my school bag and handed it to me.

"You go to Ouran?" She asked. She had wavy blond hair, pale blue eyes, and was very… curvy. She was wearing a short mini skirt and a white button up, collared shirt, which was opened in a way that revealed her… huge chest.

I nodded, taking the school bag from her. "Thanks." I smiled.

The girl's eyes lit up, and she started grinning. "That's so cool! I'm starting at Ouran on Monday!"

"Oh, that's great. Ouran's a nice school."

"Yeah," she said, nodding in agreement. "That's what I've heard too. Oh, and I heard they have a club, like, something like Host Club or something?"

Gak! What?

I started coughing, choking on my spit. Geez, I'm an idiot. "Yeah, they do."

"Tell me about it!" She said, eyes widening in a pleading way.

"Well, it's just a couple of rich guys with too much time on their hands. And they flirt with girls and do stuff. It's nothing really."

She pouted. "Aw, and I was hoping it'd be more amazing. It'd be like a reverse harem!" Her eyes were shining. They were glittering and sparkling. How does she do that? "Can you imagine it? If you were one of their friends, you could get them all wrapped up around your finger!" Okay, I have no idea how her thought process works.

"They're not really special." I said. Yes, I was still pissed at them, well mainly, a certain few of them. "Just guys who want girls fawning over them."

The girl in front of me frowned. "You don't seem to like them."

"Well, I'm kind of upset at them recently. Only a few of them though."

"You know them personally?" She asked, eyes lighting up again. "OMG, will you introduce them to me tomorrow then?"

"No thanks," I said with a firm shake of my head. "Oh. I'm Hayashi Rika, by the way, third year."

Her eyes widened even more. She had huge eyes that seemed to always be shining. "Nice to meet you, Senpai! I'm Minami Chiyo, second year!" She saluted at me sort of and then bowed with that bright smile of hers.

She looked like a foreigner but I wasn't entirely sure. I smiled back. "Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow t-"

"Rika-senpai!" cried two very familiar voices.

Oh shit.

"Bye!" I shrieked, tearing past the girl. Damn those stupid shoes for slowing me down. I was tempted to kick them off when arms wrapped around me. Holy crap, this is like deja vu! No! I don't want to be kidnapped! I kicked and squirmed, elbowing whoever was behind me.

"Stop it you guys!" I heard Haruhi yell, then, probably her tear off the people that had grabbed me.

"You stupid twins!" I shouted, turning around and smacking them both on the head. Haruhi was indeed the one standing behind the two twins, hands on her hips looking annoyed. Ha ha.

"Ow." The twins said, pouting at me.

I glared at them mercilessly. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms and keeping my guard up.

"To bring you back, of course," Hikaru said with a grin.

"Like hell you will," I started backing up, slowly and slowly. "I want to be left alone. Tell Kyoya that he's a jerk. I'll join the club, earliest, on Monday. No guarantees. Now please leave."

"Rika-senpai," Haruhi said, "please just come."

"Why should I?" Still backing up, slowly and slowly.

"Because if you don't," Kaoru grinned evilly.

Oh dear. Maybe I don't want to know. Considering the fact that they had been the ones to tie me to a chair before. I slowly bent down and took off my shoes. I knew I was being stubborn and maybe a bit stupid and immature, but there was no way I'd be going to the club without a fight.

"Bring it on boys, I've done this before." I said, returning the evil grin. If they wanted to fight, they could bring it on.

The twins exchanged glances. Haruhi looked a tad surprised and alarmed. "Maybe you could just come with us?" She said, sounding hopeful. "Because they'll drag you there, against your own will, if you don't."

Oh, she must have experienced that before.

I smiled, flexing my legs and stretching my arms as the twins continued to communicate. And… now! I whirled around and started sprinting down the sidewalk. My bare feet slapped against the concrete. Sure the ground was cold and maybe I stepped on something weird once, but it was all okay. I'd done this before.

"Come back here!" The twins yelled from behind me. Mwahaha, they could never catch up to me. Okay, I was at a slight disadvantage, wearing a dress and with shorter legs and all that. But whatever. I have done this before after all.

I rounded the corner and ran into something. Crap! I landed on the ground but quickly scrambled back up, moving to sidestep the thing- no, that's a person. Just a really tall and really familiar person.

"Mori, no! Don't you da-"

He grabbed me and now I was draped across one of his shoulders, like a sack of rice. Really?

"Let go of me you idiot!" I started kicking at him and smacking his back with my shoes. He grabbed my legs instead with a strong grip. Oh my God, do they just want me super pissed off? "Mori." I growled. "Release me at once. You douchebag!" Yes, American slang, learned from the one and only Akane.

If only Akane were here or Goofy. Akane would trip Mori, tie him up, and then we'd run away. If Goofy were here, he'd probably have some strange contraption, test it on Mori, and then we'd run away.

No, what am I saying. I don't want Mori to be hurt either.

I relaxed, letting myself dangle and watching as a black limo pulled up next to us. Right, like that's not creepy at all?

Wait. What if, all along, the Hosts were the culprit? What if they were working for or with whoever wanted to ransom me? What if they were actually kidnapping me?

My eyes widened. Holy shit, I have to get out of here!

The door opened and Mori placed me, in a surprisingly gentle way, on the seat. Kyoya was sitting across with his laptop.

"Hello, Rika."

"Shit, it's you guys!" I yelled, as Mori sat down next to me and the car started driving. "You want me kidnapped? What are you going to do with me, huh, Kyoya? Ransom me? Are you that money-hungry? Why are you doing this-"

"Calm down." Kyoya said, typing on his laptop. "I do not want to ransom you. You seem to be thinking that I may be the one behind the attack a few days back."

"It would make sense, seeing as you just kidnapped me." The car stopped. The twins and Haruhi piled in.

"No, we are merely going back to the school." Kyoya replied. Haruhi climbed over Mori and I, taking the seat next to me. The twins sat down next to Kyoya.

"Are you sure we aren't going to some abandoned warehouse so you can torture me and ask me questions?" I crossed my arms, scooting closer to Haruhi. "Just so you know, I know nothing. Didn't I tell you that Kimiko's going to be the one that takes over the family business?"

"Rika, please calm down." Kyoya said, finally looking up and pushing up his glasses. "You broke the contract in case you weren't aware of it, and we are just going to make sure you don't break it again."

I stared at him. We had another staring contest. I used to have staring contests with Akane. She was good at it. Goofy completely sucked at staring contests. Mickey was surprisingly good at it, but Minnie just started tearing up whenever she tried.

"Why would you haul everyone out just to get me? Except Tamaki and Honey of course." I said.

"Because you would obviously be difficult to bring back," Kyoya replied. We were still staring. The twins exchanged glances again. I didn't get it. What did they want? Why couldn't they just leave me alone?

"Oh, senpai, here's your school bag." Haruhi handed the brown bag to me. I took it and nodded back at her.

I pulled out my phone and called Kimiko. She'd called six times already.

"Rika, are you okay?"

"Of course not, I just got kidnapped and am being transported somewhere."

"_WHAT?_"

"Kidnapped by five-sevenths of the Host Club."

"Oh." She let out a sigh of relief. "Okay then."

"What do you mean, okay then?!"

"You'll be safe with them! Duh!"

"After the twins tried grabbing me and after Mori flipped me over his shoulder and carried me to the car? You call that okay?"

"I was worried about you, you idiot! I got a call from Kyoya telling me you didn't show up for club activities, so I called you. You didn't pick up!"

"Yeah, maybe cause I'm mad at you and Kyoya?"

"Well you could have told me that!"

Oh my God. She seriously just said that. I wanted to face palm, curl up in a hole, and take a nap. "Kimiko, I have to tell you that I'm mad at you? Are you stupid or what? You know what, never mind, I'm calling Mom."

"What? No, don't call Mom!"

"Then Dad?"

"He's probably in a meetin-"

"I don't care. Bye." I hung up then speed dialed my mom. She had to be the source of all this stupid trouble. "Mom. Tell me what's going on."

"Rika!" She said loudly, sounding happy. "You finally called mama! Aw, how have you been doing? How's school? Do you like it there? Are you fitting in? How are your classmates? Any meanies there? How are your teachers? Are they good? Any boring ones?"

Lord. "Mom, tell me what's going on."

"What's going on?" She asked innocently. A very fake, innocent tone of course. The car was now pulling into Ouran. Damn, I knew I should haven't stopped for so long to talk to that girl.

"Uh, sending Kimiko to talk to Honey?"

"Hm? No, I don't know what you're talking about. Why don't you ask Kimiko instead? Oh but do tell me how you're doing with Honey. Are you guys good friends?"

Crap. I forgot that my mom is extremely talented at avoiding a particular topic and pretending she didn't know a thing. I sighed. Maybe my dad would have better results? Or should I just brush everything off and go back to acting stupid and oblivious? I wish Kimiko had been more discreet in talking to Honey.

I hung up and put the phone away as the doors opened and Mori pulled me out. "I can walk on my own. No point in running away now." I said crossly, folding my arms.

"Thanks to you, Rika," Kyoya said, coming to walk next to me. "We probably just lost about 35% of the usual profit."

"You didn't have to chase after me."

Kimiko was at the doors of the club room. "Are you okay, Rika?" She asked. I shook my head.

"You know, Kyoya, it was really pointless to drag me back. Because now I'm not in any mood to talk to people, so you still won't get any more profit."

The club doors opened. The Hosts quickly filtered in, returning to their customers with big grins and apologies. I wonder how long they had left.

"That's fine," Kyoya said. "You can just go through these." He handed me some paper. I sighed.

"I'll be in the back." I didn't want to see any of their faces right now. I sat at the kitchen area, going through the calculations. It was much more complicated. Was Kyoya just asking for a fight or something? Right now, I really wouldn't have minded punching him.

I listened to my music while going through the papers. Boooring! Tedious! Why did I ever sign that contract? I should have known not to sign any papers involving Kyoya.

"Oi, Rika."

I tugged out my earbuds and paused my music. "Is there something I can help you with, Kimiko-nee?"

"Why are you so mad?" Kimiko asked, one hand on the table I was at.

"Figure that one out yourself," I said, continuing my work. Three sheets down, two more to go. She sighed, grabbing a nearby chair and sitting down across from me.

"Well, fine. I'll tell you what I told Honey, seeing as you even went to calling Mom. But Mom didn't ask me to do this, you know."  
"Uh-huh. Sure. Okay." I said, humming very quietly while maintaining a neutral tone.

"I told Honey what Mom told me," Kimiko said, an elbow on the table cupping her chin. "I told him that there may be future attacks on you."

"Okay."

"And I asked him to help… protect you."

I nodded. "Sure because I totally need to be protected."

"Wasn't it because of Honey that you got out of that one safe?" Kimiko asked, leaning towards me. I still wasn't looking at her, but it was getting harder and harder to keep doing these calculations.

"If I had been any stupider, Honey wouldn't have had to help at all. I would have just been whisked away by those creepers. What else did Mom say?"

"She said that you should be careful and that it's likely only you will be targeted."

"Why wouldn't you be targeted?"

"I don't know." Kimiko shrugged. "Maybe because you're younger and so they think you'd be a better target. Plus you're new to the area."

Wow. My sister just brought up a seriously good point. "Okay. That first one is stupid because they should have known that I knew martial arts. Even if I am younger, I'm still better at defending myself than you are. I mean, if they want to be good bad guys, they should at least do their research on their target, you know. Seriously, Kyoya would be ten times better at kidnapping- scratch that, he is ten times better than them at kidnapping."

Kimiko sighed. "Whatever. That's what I told Honey."

"Then why did you feel that you should keep it a secret?"

"I just really needed to ask him that he'd look out for you, and I figured you wouldn't like that idea."

"I don't. You could have at least tried to do it quietly so that I wouldn't find out." Fourth one done, one more to go.

"Ugh. Whatev, see ya. Call Azumi. Don't wait outside by yourself too long-" And blah blah blah. After like a few more minutes, Kimiko finally left. And in that time, I finished the fifth sheet. Geez, she's really talented at talking a lot.

"Here, Kyoya the Demon Spawn," I said, tossing the papers in front of him.

"Your sister told you, yes?" He asked, as he picked up the papers and began looking through them.

"Yes. And if you're going to mentally check every single calculation I did, then there's no point in having me do it." I replied, standing next to him.

"I'm not checking it. I'm just making sure your calculations make sense. You were being very childish back there, throwing a tantrum just because someone was keeping a secret from you." He flipped through the sheets.

"Oh ho. Was I really? Consider this, Kyoya. You're checking through a particular person's file when you notice that something seems to be missing. You know a piece of information is missing, and it has something to do with you. Then you find out someone close to you knows that information, your onee-san, Tamaki, or anyone you can imagine. So you go and ask that person for that information but they refuse to tell you. Now how would you feel?"

"I would use my resources to extract that information from that person."

"What if you couldn't? Oh, come on, Kyoya! Just admit you'd be frustrated too! Geez. I'm going home now. Bye."

I grabbed my school bag and left the room. Club activities would be ending soon anyway. I called Azumi on my way down the staircase. What a pain. I could have walked home peacefully if I hadn't been interrupted by those dum-dums. Ah.

* * *

**3rd POV:**

Kyoya watched as the big doors closed behind the small girl. She was short tempered, sure, but he had to admit that she was also independent and cunning. Plus he knew she was talented at fighting as well. She could become either a powerful friend or a deadly foe in the future. Or maybe something much, much more.

He sighed as the guests began filtering out. He stuffed the papers into his school bag and packed up his laptop and black notebook.

"What happened to Rika-senpai?" Kaoru asked, as the other Hosts gathered around Kyoya's table.

"She'll be fine by next week." Kyoya replied calmly, picking up his school bag. The Hosts exchanged glances, unsure of the entire situation. "Are we all done here?"

They nodded, and Kyoya left for the waiting limo. Ever since Rika had reappeared in his life, he was even busier. He sighed. But he had to admit that he liked having her back again.

* * *

**Ta-dah! And finally the nasty part is over! Next chapter, the Host Club goes on a small field trip! :D **

**Oh and I'll be updating, at least, once a week. I might update twice a week, kind of depends on how things go. **

**Review please! I'd love to hear your opinion. All suggestions and questions welcomed! :D And now, t****hanks for reading!**


	10. Field trip to the commoners' mall!

**10th chapter! WOO HOO~! Hey everyone! I found out about Mary-Sue characters yesterday. Rika isn't one right? I hope not... **

**Thanks MokonaBookworm! Here's an extra long chapter that I hope you enjoy! **

**And thank you TrickyTheTricksterMew, lol nice name. :D Thanks for reviewing you wonderful people!**

**Hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

Saturday morning, the doorbell rang. Great. Why couldn't my parents have wired it so that I wouldn't hear it? I rolled over in bed to check my clock. It wasn't even 9:30 yet. I rolled back, burying my face into Hiro's soft fur.

"Rika-sama," It was Azumi, knocking softly on my door. "You have some friends over to see you."

"Rika-chan!"

"Rika-senpai!"

"Sorry for intruding."

I sat up slowly. Why was there so much effing noise? It wasn't even 9:30 yet! "Shut. Up." I muttered, using a high-powered dark glare.

Silence returned, albeit a tense one.

I flopped back down, rolled over, and curled up under the blankets.

"I didn't know Rika-senpai would be as scary as Honey-senpai."

"Yeah, they both kind of act the same way."

"Who wouldn't? We're barging in early in the morning."

Ugh, the noise… It's excruciating to my ears that have not woken up yet.

"Get out of my room!" I yelled, smacking my blankets. "And come back in three hours, you idiots!"

They stared at me. I realized then that everyone except Honey and Mori were here. Kyoya looked as annoyed as I felt, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and a dark aura surrounding him.

"Azumi! Kick these pests out this instant!"

Azumi came in with a blank look. "Rika-sama, that would be really rude."

"I just want to sleep!" I whined, rolling around in my blankets. "It's Saturday, man. It's Saturday! You sleep and sleep on Saturdays! Whyyyyyy?"

"Rika-sama, please get up."

I sighed. Now there was no choice. The only few times I could get away with a short temper, yelling, and whining was early in the morning on weekends. Other times, I had to be sweet and gentle. Ugh, who wants to wake up so early on the weekends? It's the weekend for a reason!

"Screw you!" I shouted, kicking them out of the room to change clothes.

* * *

"So why did you guys come here?" I asked, as we all congregated in the kitchen. "Coffee please." The maid nodded and began to make my coffee. I wasn't very fond of coffee, but during dire times like these, I'd need it.

I was wearing a light pink blouse, with zero frills (because I'd pulled them off myself) and a dark pink skirt to match. A third of my closet is stuffed full of pink clothes. It was really annoying.

The kitchen was a nice, wide room, connected to the fancy dining room and to a hallway which led straight to the door. And it was one of my more favorite places, mainly because it was where food is and because Kimiko doesn't come here often. There were white tiled floors and pale, blue paint. The marble kitchen counters, the silver stove, oven, and refrigerator - which was huge, by the way - always shined. There was also an island surrounded by bar stools.

"We're going to a commoner's mall!" Tamaki shouted excitedly.

"Great," I replied in as sarcastic of a tone as possible. "Can't you see that not everyone is as excited as you are?" I gestured at Kyoya, who was now leaning on the kitchen wall, emanating the same deadly aura.

"B-But it'll be more fun with all of us!" Tamaki cried out.

I sighed. "Do you guys want to eat anything? Coffee?"

"Do you have instant coffee?" The twins asked. I shook my head. I kind of wished I did though. Then I could just make it myself.

"Here you go, Rika-sama. If you would like anything, just tell me." The maid said, smiling sweetly at the boys.

"Thank you," The twins and Tamaki replied, making her blush under their big smiles. Wow. Haruhi was busy checking out the kitchen.

"Kyoya, you want anything?" I sipped my coffee. It was sweet, creamy, and mixed with some cocoa. Just the way I liked it.

He looked up slowly.

"Would you like coffee, Kyoya you jerk dear?" Haha, nobody heard that right? Right? I was kinda worried though. He looked terrible, as if he'd only gotten an hour of sleep… Or he was a vampire and hadn't gotten enough blood… Ok! Let's stop imagining weird things now, Rika!

"Sure." He said, finally slumping into a nearby bar stool.

"Izanami-san, if you could," I called to the previous maid, who was chatting with another one by the fridge.

"Yes, Rika-sama." She reacted quickly.

"Rika-sama," Azumi said, as she came into the now rather full kitchen. "What are you going to eat for breakfast?"

"I'll go out and buy something. We're leaving soon, right?" I asked.

"Yes!" Tamaki shouted. "Next we go to Honey-senpai's house! Mori-senpai should be there already!"

"I'll be fine, Azumi." I turned my attention to the maid still waiting for something. I smiled brightly. "I'm sure you have many other things to attend to."

"Yes, Rika-sama." She gave a short bow then left, nabbing the other two maids while she was at it. Dang! I'm getting better and better at this smile thing.

"Rika-chan, are we going to go now?" Tamaki asked.

I smiled at him, setting down my now finished coffee. "Tama-chan."

A look of horror spread across his face. "Y-Yes?"

"How come you don't call me senpai?" I leaned closer and closer to him, maintaining that menacing smile.

"Ahhh!" Was the best Tamaki could say.

"Let's go." I said, grabbing my nearby messenger's bag. It had everything I needed. I grabbed Tamaki's hand, and we walked over to Honey's house.

* * *

"Senpai, calm down." Haruhi said to Tamaki, as we waited at the doorway for Honey and Mori to come join us.

I snorted and turned around. I had had to drag Tamaki over here. He was staring at my hand, which still held his wrist tightly. "Haruhi dear, would you like to watch him?"

"No thanks." Haruhi replied with that calm look of hers.

"Did you hear that, Tamaki?" I asked, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "I'm afraid you have no chance with her."

"What?" Tamaki shrieked.

"Please stop aggravating Tamaki," Kyoya said irritably.

"Geez, you're not the only one who got dragged out of bed." I replied, sticking out my tongue childishly.

"Yes that may be true, but I'm the only one who went to bed at five." He said, pushing up his glasses in an arrogant manner, at least to me.

"Maybe you should take better care of yourself then and go to sleep earlier. Are you stupid or what?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

"I am not. I had business to attend to."

"At five in the morning?"

"It means I had papers and other things to deal with."

"Yeah, there's something called putting it aside and going to sleep. Have you ever heard of procrastination, Kyoya? Maybe you should do some of that."

"W-"

"Ri-chan!"

Honey launched himself at me, which really wasn't a good idea, since we were about the same height after all.

"Ah!"

I was falling backwards. Seriously, it was way too unexpected. Honey's eyes widened. His arms around me tightened, and he flipped us over. So I landed on top of him.

"Ow." I said. My knees were smarting now.

Honey looked at me with a bright smile and stuck his tongue out… in a really mischievous way. And it was cute. I blushed.

"You know, Honey, you could have been more sensible and not ran at me full speed." I said, pulling him up to his feet.

"I wanted to though," he replied, giving me an innocent look. "Hi everyone! Let's go!"

"This is so weird," I heard a twin say.

"Yeah, usually Honey-senpai is really grumpy in the morning."

"But not this time…"

Hm? Is that that unusual? Whatever. Now I have to deal with these lovable idiots' antics for a couple of hours. Geez, so much for just reading all weekend.

And the first thing they do… is try to cram eight people into one fricking limo. Are these guys stupid? Good thing the limo is the the kind with two sides facing each other. I slid in with Honey, Mori, and-

"I want to sit next to Haruhi!" Tamaki cried.

"No! We do!"

So Haruhi ended up sitting next to me. Boy was this new.

"I wanted to study this weekend," Haruhi said darkly, glaring at the trio sitting with an irritated Kyoya. "Without any distractions."

"And I wanted to read." I added.

"And I wanted to sleep." Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "And finish my work, of course." Wow, Kyoya just landed the last blow. The twins and Tamaki froze in their seats. After a while, the twins began messing around with a heartbroken and depressed Tamaki.

Honey laughed. "But it'll be fun with all of us, Ri-chan! Isn't it boring just to stay at home, Haru-chan, Kyo-chan?"

No response. Honey's cuteness was too difficult to combat. Kyoya just sighed and rested his head against the door. I'd never seen him like this before. It was quite interesting. This sleep deprivation must have started in middle school or high school.

We arrived at the "commoner's mall" with a renewed Tamaki.

"Yay!" cried the trio, who then dashed into the mall, followed by an equally eager Honey.

"Come on, Ri-chan!" And he dragged me along, with, of course, Mori following diligently. I had to run to keep up with Honey. We entered and were met by a cool blast of air conditioning. It wasn't even that warm outside.

"Ooooh! Ahhh!"

We were standing at a large clearing with a fountain in the center. There weren't that many people right now, since the mall probably opened at eight. There were stores surrounding the round plaza-like place and wide halls branching off to even more stores.

"Let's go!"

"Do you guys even know where you're going?" Haruhi butted in.

"Nope!" They shouted just as happily. Haruhi sighed and then facepalmed.

"Have you been here before Haruhi?" I asked her.

"Yeah, but not much. Well where do you guys want to go then?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"Yay, Haruhi's going to be our guide!" The twins yelled.

"Anywhere!" Tamaki shouted.

Haruhi turned very slowly to me. "Where do you want to go?"

"How about we just walk around then?" I asked with an unsure smile. I really didn't know where to go. I never had been into shopping.

"We should check out the commoner's clothes stores," Hikaru said to Kaoru as we walked down one hall, checking out the brightly lit stores.

"Look, Tono! A commoner's toy store!" Kaoru pointed at a large store to our right.

"I wonder what their toys are like," Hikaru said. He was obviously trying to goad Tamaki's curiosity.

"Oh? Let's go in and see!" Tamaki shouted, charging in loudly.

"Rich bastards. They don't have to stick 'commoner' in front of everything." Haruhi muttered. I laughed in agreement.

"Let's go too, Ri-chan!" Honey was still holding my hand and so dragged me into the store.

"Eh, wait. There's nothing to see in here. It's just toys." I said, stumbling in behind him. Tall shelves loomed over us, filled with boxes of toys. Legos, dolls, transformers, and kitchen sets. Children's toys are so sexist.

"Hm…"

I turned to see Honey frowning ever so slightly. I tilted my head, mildly confused and worried. "What is it Honey?"

"It's boring." He replied simply.

"Let's l-" I glanced around. Wait, where did everyone else go? "Where are they?"

"They probably went ahead."

"Even Mori? And Kyoya?"

Honey grinned. I stared at him suspiciously. "Ah, whatever. Let's go see if they have video games here. Do you like video games, Honey?"

"Not really. I don't play them."

We wandered to the video game section. Ah! Sweet games! How I've missed you so! I stared at row after row of video games all behind the glass case.

"Do you want some, Rika?"

"H-Huh? No! It's fine." I said, shaking my head while I continued to feast my eyes on the games. Argh! The new Assassin's Creed is out and I can't play it! This pisses me off so much!

"Hey, look Rika! You can play something here!"

"What is it?" I ventured over to where he stood in front of the new Wii U. "Oh! It's Legend of Zelda! Cool! And it's Ocarina of Time! Double cool!" I grabbed the little tablet/remote thing and started playing.

"Oi, Rika-senpai, we're leaving!" I heard the twins say a while later.

"That's fine. See ya!" I replied calmly. I wasn't even that far into the demo yet! I wasn't going to leave so soon.

"Rika."

"Rika-chan!"

"Ri-chan!"

"Go ahead. I'll catch up later."

I heard an almost collective sigh behind me. Then arms wrapped around my arms and I was jerked quickly away from the game.

"No! What are you doing, you devil twins? Look, I was just talking to that old man! I'm not even done with the demo yet! Stopppppp!" Even with all my flailing and kicking, they still successfully dragged me out of the toy store.

"Hmph. Not fun at all. Can't even play some video games with you guys. What happened to the stereotype about all boys playing videogames? It's obviously not true to you guys." I said, with a dramatic sigh and crossed arms.

"Let's go clothes shopping next, Rika-senpai!" The twins yelled, their arms now wrapped around my shoulders.

"But clothes are boring." I whined.

"Rika-senpai," Haruhi said, sticking her head into view. "Want some ice cream instead?"

"Ice cream? Ice cream? Yes!" I shouted, jumping straight away from the twins. Haruhi smiled and turned to the right, leading us down a different hallway.

"Here, let's have some ice cream." She said, stopping in front of a small store.

"Yay! Ice cream!" Honey started jumping up and down, hugging Usa-chan. Wait, when did he have Usa-chan?

"Boooring," The twins said.

"Haruhi, what flavor do you want?" Tamaki asked, as we walked to the register.

"Hm… Strawberry."

"Ok! Two strawberries then!" He declared loudly the register. He then turned to Kyoya. "What do you want, Kyoya?"

"I don't want ice cream." Kyoya said, busy with his black notebook. What a busy body.

"I'll take vanilla and strawberry." Honey said cutely. "What do you want Ri-chan?"

"Cookies and cream." I smiled. Ice cream is the best.

"I'll take chocolate," Hikaru said.

"Same then," Kaoru said with a shrug. The register lady looked really bewildered as she tried to get all the flavors down. She nodded and calculated up the money.

"I'll pay!" Tamaki said immediately. I sighed. Whatever, not like I wanted to pay or anything.

We got our ice cream and went back to walking. Tamaki wanted to check out a pet store. Haruhi wanted to go the the book store (I do too!) and the twins still wanted to go buy clothes.

We went to the pet store and played with some of the pets. They were really cute. I love dogs and cats! Too bad I can't have any pets… Then the clothes store. Well, not surprisingly, the mall had a ton of stores selling clothes.

"Why don't we split up then?" Kyoya asked in the current debate of which store to go to.

"Why? Only the twins want to buy clothes." I said.

"Not really buy clothes," The twins replied. "We just want to see what the commoners sell."

Haruhi sighed. "Well there's a big sale going on at Z store."

"Big sale?" I said, eyes widening. Haruhi nodded. "What does Z store sell?"

She shrugged. "The usual clothes."

"Let's go then!" I shouted, throwing a fist in the air. Yes! Time to regain my hoodies and jeans back!

"Eh, why is Rika-senpai so excited about this now?" The twins asked. "But let's go anyway!"

"Yeah!"

"I'll go and deal with some business then." Kyoya replied.

"Takashi wants to check out this store though." Honey said, pointing to one that was selling sports equipment. He frowned as if in deep thought. He closed his eyes, spun around, and then opened them. "Ah!" Honey shouted, looking shocked that he was facing Mori. Then he sighed. "Fine. I'll go with Takashi."

Mori chuckled very quietly. "It's fine, Mitsukuni, go with them."

Wow! Mori said some more words!

Honey shook his head. "Nah. I'll go with you. We can meet up later anyway. Bye you guys!" He waved and then dashed into the store with Mori.

"I'll take my leave too then. Tamaki, call me when you want to meet up again." Kyoya said, tucking his black book away and walking down one hall. "Which will hopefully be a long time from now." He added, very quietly and with a very dark undertone.

"Well let's go then!" Tamaki shouted, leaving me with the trio and Haruhi. Great.

Then something ran into my back. I spun around, immediately pushing my left foot back and taking on a loose, defensive position.

But it was just Usa-chan.

Well, Honey was holding Usa-chan up to my face. "Keep her for a while, will you, Rika?" He said sweetly. "I think things might get busy in the shop and I don't want her to get lost or anything. Take good care of her! Bye!"

Then he was gone.

What?

Oh well. Usa-chan is so soft and cuddly. I hugged the bunny to my chest with a smile and closed eyes. When I opened my eyes again, I saw the twins staring at me very suspiciously.

"What?" I asked, trying not to snap at them.

They grinned mischievously. "Nuh-thing." They started humming and walking in the direction Haruhi had pointed. "Let's go shopping then!"

I sighed. Oh dear.

When we arrived at the store, I naturally headed to the girls' section. Like little girls' section. Ugh. I frowned at the sight of bright pink skirts and dresses, covered in glittery things and cute animals and princesses. Seriously those Disney princesses, as much as they were a part of my childhood, they really aren't the best role models for little children. The only thing those princesses are capable of doing is being super and inhumanly nice and damselling. Like you know, being the damsel in distress and ah can't do squat but wait here for the handsome, usually no name prince to appear and kiss me randomly!

Plus those fairytale stuff kind of promote love at first sight which basically equals Oh-I-love-you-so-much-but-only-because-you're-so-beautiful. How shallow and egotistical. That's why Beauty and the Beast, along with Mulan, are my favorites. Mulan's awesome! She's so badass and it's actually based off a real story!

Anyway… backing away from my fairytale rant…

The twins, Tamaki, and Haruhi had disappeared, no doubt together. Whatever, I'd just pick out some clothes I'd like. I could probably stash it at Honey's place or the school. Then when I actually want to wear something that's comfortable and easy to move in, I could get it.

I picked out a few hoodies, t-shirts, loose jeans, shorts, and sweatpants that were all on sale. Then some boxer shorts to wear under my numerous skirts and dresses. In case I ever need to do a high kick while wearing a skirt…

I calculated the approximate total cost then went to find the trio and Haruhi.

"Hey, Haruhi~!" I called, searching for the now familiar brown head. I spotted her near the dressing room (that trio must have been dressing her up like a doll. Sorry Haruhi! I should have gone to save you!) and the trio, not surprisingly, was there too.

"Hey you guys," I said, my hands full with clothes. "I'm going to the checkout line. Ok?" They nodded with smiles before returning their attention to Haruhi.

She was wearing a very cute white dress. It really suited her, even though she had such short hair. I smiled. "Good!" I said to Haruhi with a thumbs up.

She smiled back. "Thanks."

Then I wandered around in search of the check out line. Through the men's section, and a small shoe section, and going and going…

Finally!

I piled the clothes onto the counter and retrieved my phone as I waited my turn. Time to see if this would work. If not, I should have enough money to buy these clothes.

"Izumi?"

"Rika-sama. How are you?"

"Good. There's some things I'd like to buy…"

"And what is it, Rika-sama?"

"Well, I want to buy some books but we'll be visiting the book store later." I said, trying to formulate a good way to phrase this.

"Well when you're about to purchase your books, call me, and I will activate the credit card." She said calmly.

Argh! Why can't she just activate it now?

"Could you activate it now?"

"What would you like to buy, Rika-sama?"

"Clothes," I replied, as simply as possible.

"What kind of clothes? What store is this?"

I sighed. Maybe this was impossible. "Izumi, please, I really want this dress. It's really cute, and I've never seen it's color." What a total lie.

"A dress?"

"Yes! You know, the ones I have at home are all pink and frilly… and they're starting to get boring."

"You'll show it to me when you return?" It's interesting that she doesn't say "come home." I tried to brush it off though.

"Of course, Izumi."

"And how much is it?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't look at the price tag properly. Oops, sorry. He he."

"Alright. I'll activate the card right now then. What store is this?"

"Z store." I said, moving down the register. Great, now I had to find a good dress at this store to show Izumi. The twins ran to me, holding something in their hands. It was a dress the same red color as my bow. It looked rather short and plain. Perfect!

I snatched it out of their arms with a big smile.

"Thank you." I said to them, and partly to Izumi too. They nodded, gave me a thumbs up, and then ran away. Did they do that on a whim or had they heard me talking on the phone? Whatever, they just saved me from a load of trouble.

I used my old credit card. Guess what? After the middle school thing, my parents unactivated it. Previously I'd been buying things for the gang, like books for us and whatever the members wanted: parts for Goofy, food for Akane, and a new pair of glasses for Mickey, et cetera. My parents rarely looked at the credit card bill. After it, nope! They told me that if I really needed to buy something, I could call Izumi and she'd activate it. She also had the power to accept or decline a transmission. So even if the card was activated, if she wasn't around to accept, nothing would go through.

What a pain.

Oh well. Now I don't have to pay with my saved up money!

After check out, I stood searching for the trio and Haruhi. I wandered back into the store, trying to find them. Changing rooms, nope. Ladies section, nope. Mens, nope. Shoes? Nope. Nowhere?

I was about to give up and call them when I walked by another exit of the store. There, in its glistening beauty, was a gorgeous book store.

Oh hallelujah. A book store! I can just hear the glorious music!

I ran right out of Z store and into the book store. It was huge, two stories tall, with escalators.

Manga section. Manga section? Where are you?

There you are!

On the second floor and nearly all the way across from the escalators stood the most beautiful bookshelf I had ever seen.

Ahhhhhhhhh! Great, holy manga! How much I've missed you! I stood in front of the shelf that held rows and rows of manga. This is heaven!

Look! Another volume of Yotsubato is out! Aw, she looks as cute as usual. And is that another Skip Beat and Naruto volume? Cool. And- Oh my God, it's the last volume of FMA! I dropped my shopping bags to snatch it up. Aw, I really want to add you to my now non-existent FMA collection! With the Al plushie and the Roy Mustang figurine. Whyyyyyyy?

Oh well, might as well read!

* * *

I checked my watch. Oh, only an hour and about twenty minutes had passed… Wait. An hour and twenty minutes?! Oh crap!

I crammed the Last Game volume into the shelf, grabbing my bags and the books I wanted to buy, and readying myself to leave. But I don't want to leave- Oh hey, is that some figurines? Oh wow! It's Zoro! Zoro from One Piece! Hey, and it's a chibi him too. Aw, so cute. I want a chibi Zoro.

I knelt down and picked up the box containing the figurine. Why is it 900 yen? Why's it so expensive? He's so tiny too. He's probably not even two inches tall. Ah, it'd be a bit of a waste to buy it like this. But I want a Zoro. He's so cool! And I always got Chopper whenever I tried for those bauble thingys. Or I'd get Franky. And Brook. And Nami. I want a Zoro…

I kept up this indecisive debate in my head for a while until someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned, wondering who it was.

Eh?

What was he doing here?

* * *

**Cliffhanger! DUM DUM DUM DUM!**

**Review please! Opinions are greatly loved!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. A famous mouse's appearance!

**It's chapter 11! Yippee! Thank you guys for all the follows and favorites! :D Hope you guys keep reading and keep enjoying! And SUPER SPECIAL thanks to the following awesome peeps! **

**DreamTrance14: You're back! :P Mwahaha, it is revealed... soon! **

**MokonaBookworm: Lol, yeah Kyoya. How many of those mangas/animes do you know? **

**LuvPeaceCandy: It will ALL be revealed. At some point. :D **

**Love you guys! Thanks for sticking around! ^_^ **

**And now! **

**_NOTE TO ALL READERS:_ The next section happens when Rika is reading, like during that hour and twenty minutes. It fits vaguely into that time frame.**

** That was a long intro... Well, hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

**3rd POV:**

"Eh? Where'd Rika-senpai go?" Haruhi asked, as they stood at the check out line. The twins were admiring the little trinkets, gum, and candy being sold at the line. She hadn't bought much, just a few things she needed.

"Hm?" Tamaki said with a smile. Then it faded away at the realization. "Oh my God! Where did Rika-chan go?"

"What?" The twins said, looking up. "Isn't she…"

The four glanced around, concerned.

"Does anyone have her phone number?" Haruhi asked, as she stepped up to the line calmly.

"No…" The trio said sadly.

"What should we do?" Tamaki cried out. "What if Daddy's little girl got kidnapped?" What usually would have been brushed off as Tamaki's extravagant imagination could not this time. The four froze. If it was Rika, it certainly could happen…

Haruhi paid then began walking back into the store with the worried trio following behind her. They searched the store, splitting up effectively. When they found no sign of the short, black-haired girl, they left the store.

"We need a plan! At once!" Tamaki declared.

"Yes, Tono!" The twins said in reply, saluting and prepared.

"First, we must gather up the rest of the club." Tamaki said, speaking in a furious whisper for some reason. Haruhi could still hear them though. "I'll call Kyoya. You two call both Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai, in case they're separated. Haruhi~ We need a place to meet up!"

"How about here?" Haruhi asked, stopping at a squarish plaza with scattered couches and coffee tables for the mall shoppers. "If Rika didn't get kidnapped, she probably didn't wander far."

"Excellent idea! As expected from Haruhi!" Tamaki shouted, attacking the said girl with a hug.

"Senpai, weren't you going to call Kyoya-senpai?" She asked.

"Right."

The trio busied themselves with their phones.

"Kyoya-senpai probably has Rika-senpai's phone number." Haruhi added. The three nodded in agreement. No doubt he would.

The other three Host Club members were fast to meet up with the rest. The moment Kyoya heard that Rika was gone, he quickly wrapped up his work and left. Honey, who had been with Mori, immediately dropped what he was doing and raced away, leaving Mori behind to finish things up.

Honey reached his hand into his pocket as he ran down the halls. He wasn't sure whether he should be upset with Tamaki and the twins. Or with himself. If Rika was hurt, wouldn't it have been because he hadn't gone along with her? A sour feeling twisted his gut. Surely she still had Usa-chan with her, right? If she did, then they could easily find her.

He pulled out the small device, turning it on as he rounded a corner.

He found the Host Club at the selected place. Everyone was already there, except Mori, who would catch up later.

"Honey-senpai," Haruhi called, waving her arm. Honey kept running. He wanted to find Rika as soon as possible.

"What happened?" He asked, stopping in front of them.

Kyoya sighed. "Rika's missing, but we don't know for sure what's happened."

"She could have been kidnapped!" Tamaki sobbed out.

"She probably just got bored of waiting for us and went to check out some other stores." Haruhi reasoned.

"Does anyone have her cell phone number?" Honey asked.

Kyoya sighed again. "No. I would be able to look it up, if someone had allowed me to bring my laptop."

"It's not in your black notebook, Kyo-chan?" Honey asked sweetly. He really wished Kyoya had it, even if it did irk him a bit.

Kyoya shook his head.

"She's gone!" Tamaki wailed.

"Calm down, senpai. Let's just search the mall." Haruhi said.

"Why don't we try one of those broadcast thingys?" The twins suggested.

"Hey that might work!" Honey said. Everyone seemed to brighten up at the idea.

* * *

**A few minutes later~**

Rika thought she heard a vague mall broadcast. But she was too absorbed in her manga. She was a deep, intense reader that could easily tune out all outside noises. So the mall broadcast, which hadn't been too clear in the bookstore in the first place, was simply ignored.

* * *

"Why isn't she coming?" Tamaki said, clinging to Haruhi. "Where did she go?"

"It seems it's time to notify the police and the Black Onion Squad." Kyoya said, pushing up his glasses darkly.

Mori nodded, having finally joined up with the Host Club.

"Wait, guys, calm down." Haruhi said, while shoving Tamaki away. She really didn't think that Rika got kidnapped. Something inside her told her otherwise.

"She should still be in the mall." Honey said, staring at the small pink, bunny-shaped device in his hand. "Either that or she's dropped Usa-chan."

"What?" Tamaki asked, poking his head over to look at the device.

"There's a small GPS in Usa-chan." Honey explained cheerily, though inside he really just wanted to dash over to where the blinking dot was. "In case I ever lose her, I can find her with this!"

"Let's get going then!" Tamaki said.

"Where do you think she went?" The twins mused as they followed Honey.

"Hmm… maybe a cake store?" Honey guessed. "Or a sweets store."

"Oh?" The twins said, exchanging glances.

"Where do you think she went?" Haruhi asked the twins.

"Maybe she went back to the toy store," Tamaki suggested. But Honey and Haruhi could both see that they were not going towards the toy store.

"Possible. She really didn't want to leave the toy store earlier." The twins said.

"What do you two think?" Honey asked turning to Kyoya and Haruhi. They both had a different place in mind.

"The bookstore," Haruhi said. Kyoya nodded in agreement. Although the others' thoughts had been reasonable, it seemed far more likely that Rika would go the bookstore. She did love manga (though only Kyoya knew this) and books after all.

And they arrived at a bookstore.

"Haru-chan, you're amazing! You guessed correctly!" Honey said, though it hadn't escaped his notice that Kyoya had thought the same. And Honey was still hoping that he wouldn't just find Usa-chan.

Then they heard a girl's scream.

"Th-That wouldn't be…" Tamaki didn't need to finish his sentence. The Host Club shot into the store, searching for the source of the sound.

* * *

**Rika's POV:**

Light, curly brown hair. Green rimmed glasses, just the way I'd last seen him. And those bright sea-green eyes.

He was wearing his navy blue t-shirt with neon green aliens on them over a white, long-sleeved shirt and dark gray sweatpants. It really looked like nothing had changed about him. Except he was taller and looked more mature.

I dropped the Zoro box onto its shelf. I could hear my heart pounding away. Slowly, slowly, I stood up.

He gave me that unsure, cheeky smile of his. Was it really him? Here? I glanced around, eyes searching for any familiar faces. It hadn't seemed like anyone had followed me here to the mall in the first place. Finally, deeming the coast clear, I turned back to the boy still standing in front of me patiently.

"Mi-Mickey?" I managed to choke out.

"Yup! It's me," He said with a nervous chuckle. I just kept gaping at him. Really? Mickey? Here? "You can stop staring at me like I'm an alien, Red."

I let out a delighted, and surprisingly loud, shriek. Then I tackled Mickey in a hug.

"Oh my God! Mickey! It's been so long! It really is you!" I said, laughing into his chest. He was so much taller than me now. Last time I'd seen him, he was barely half an inch taller than me.

He laughed with me, arms wrapping around. "It's good to see you too, Captain."

"Aw, shut up. I told you that name doesn't work." I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Oh, dude, is this Akane's bow?" His hands fingered my red bow.

I nodded. "Duh. Do you think I'd let my parents throw this away?"

He grinned. "What else do you still have?"

"Hm…" I stared up at him, trying to drink up his image. This was an amazing surprise, and there was no way I wouldn't take advantage of it. "Well I have Goofy's red notebook."

"And?" He prodded expectantly.

"The pen you and Minnie gave me...?" I said with a tilt of my head.

"Sweet!" He said, pumping his fists in delight.

"Except I don't know how it works. It's a great pen though! I've signed everything with that pen! How's Minnie by the way? How are you two doing? And the gang?"

"Minnie and I are fine!" He said, a bit too loudly. Ooh, okay, something went wrong.

"What happened? Did you say something rude again?"

"Oh come on, Red. I'm older now, don't you think I know what's rude to say?" He stared at me, and I just shook my head.

"Boys never know what to say to girls." I replied simply with a shrug.

He laughed, grinning and shaking off my comment easily. "Man. It's great to see you again!"

"Yeah!" I agreed as Mickey pulled me into another hug. Dang, he was so much taller than me. Argh! And his shoulders were much broader. He seemed stronger, tougher. Overall, more boyish. Nothing like the wimpy, bullied nerd I'd first met years ago.

"You! Unhand my daughter this instance!"

"Oh crap!" Mickey yelped, jerking away from me with his hands on my shoulders. He looked terrified. "Your dad's here?"

I started laughing. "No way! That's probably just Tamaki!" And the Host Club. And yup. I was right.

The Host Club screeched to a halt behind me. I smiled at them. "Guys, chill. This is my friend-"

"Release my daughter immediately!" Tamaki yelled, pointing at Mickey with a glare.

"Tamaki, please shut up." I said curtly. "You're ruining one of the most happiest moments of my life right now."

"Who's this, Rika-senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"Ri-chan!" Honey wrapped his arms around my shoulder. What was he doing? Wait… Is this what they call… a back hug? I felt myself blushed. Oh dear.

"Hey, Rika-senpai, what did you buy?" The twins were now poking through my purchased clothing. Haruhi was now looking through the stack of books on the floor that I'd been planning on buying.

"Yasuda Mikiya," Kyoya said calmly. WTF? Oh wait, he probably read through my files _and_ all my friends'. Figured. "Currently attending Akawari High-"

"That's great!" I said, wiggling in Honey's arms to stop Kyoya. I really didn't want him to blab out my middle school shenanigans. "Now how about you all just stop?!"

"Ootori Kyoya," Mickey said in turn. I saw the tell-tale sign of his glasses shimmering. My eyes widened.

"Holy crap!" I jumped straight out of Honey's grip. "Dude, you and Goofy upgraded it?" Mickey grinned at me.

"Of course! What did you expect?" Then he turned to each of the Host Club member and listed their names one by one.

"A-Another Kyoya?" Tamaki said, looking horrified.

"They don't really seem like your friends though," Mickey said.

"Well-" I turned back to the chaotic Host Club.

"What do you want with Ri-chan?" Honey asked, pulling me behind him.

"Honey-" I said, trying to get past his arm barrier.

"Hm… I guess this should have been expected." Mickey said with an amused grin. "Gee, Red, no matter where you go, you just wrap the guys up around your finger huh? I'll have to tell Goofy."

"Don't tell Goofy anything!" I yelled, heatedly.

Mickey raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not? Come on! He's been so gloomy ever since you left! I'm sure a good dose of jealousy wo-"

"Stop it Mickey," I growled.

"Who's Goofy?" Honey asked, turning to me so suddenly that our faces were inches apart. He looked worried for some reason. His eyebrows were furrowed together in a very un-Honey-esque way.

"Another old friend of mine. No worries, Honey." I replied. "I haven't seen him in years!"

Honey pouted. Gosh, he's too cute to resist!

"Oi, you, Haninozuka," Mickey said, grabbing Honey's arm and turning him around to face Mickey. "Stop taking advantage of my captain's weak spot."

"It's not my weak spot!" I yelled.

"Weak spot?" Honey turned back to me. "Ri-chan, you have a weak spot?" He made an adorable, questioning face.

I cringed away. "Of course I do. Now stop making cute faces!"

Honey laughed, hugging me. "So who is this guy?"

"My middle school friend," I said, wiggling again in Honey's hold. "Kyoya already introduced him. Yasuda Mikiya."

"No, Red. I think he's more concerned about who I am to you." Mickey said, placing an arm on top of my head.

"Yeah, yeah, you're finally much taller than me. Point has been taken, Mickey." I said, rolling my eyes at him. "_So how good is your English right now?_" I switched quickly to English.

"_Pretty good. I'm still friends with the whole gang and of course Akane hasn't changed much at all._" Mickey replied with a grin.

"What language is that?" a twin asked.

"English," Haruhi replied sounding surprised.

"_So remember that fake story of me spending middle school abroad? Yeah, want to play along with it?_" I asked Mickey, disregarding the curious stares of the Host Club.

"_Sure._" Then Mickey abruptly pulled Honey off of me. "Hey, you can relax because I have a girlfriend, and I'm not interested in Rika the way you are."

"Wha-" I said, eyes widening. "Mickey! What does that mean?"

"Sheesh, still stupidly dense when it comes to these things, aren't you?" Mickey said, tousling my hair with a hand.

"Who's dense? You better fix things with Minnie, or I'll march there myself to fix it!" I replied, waving a finger in his face.

He seemed to consider it, smiling up at the ceiling. "Actually, I'm sure everyone would love for you to come back and join us."

"That's not what I meant," I said, burying my face into Honey's shoulder. I'd forgotten just how tiring it was dealing with the gang. They really weren't much more different from the Host Club. Except that I didn't quite fit in the Host Club. They'd established themselves around Tamaki after all. Kind of like how the gang had been established around and by me.

"Uh, Rika-senpai," Haruhi said. "Want to explain?"

"Oh." I popped my head back out, dismissing the light flush on Honey's cheeks. "Well this is Mikiya. We went to middle school together, and we're good friends. Then I went to the stupid boarding school and never saw him again."

"Didn't you go study abroad for middle school though?" Honey asked in a very innocent manner.

"Yeah." I said.

"Which school?" Honey continued.

"Um, Sprucewell." It was on my file that I'd attended Sprucewell. My parents had had me enrolled and made it look like I actually had spent those years there. But if you had the brains and stuff, you could find Akamatsu Rika's file at Akawari Junior High.

"Is that where you learned English?" Haruhi asked. "You sounded like you were fluent in it."

"Eh? No, no. Not fluent. My reading and writing is really poor actually." I said. Ha ha, actually I suck at reading and writing. Akane only taught us how to speak it.

"Th-"

"Rika," Kyoya said, silencing the others immediately. "When will you tell everyone?" Wow. Really? He's like basically telling everyone I'm lying.

I sighed. "It depends. Let's leave this place first though."

I gathered up the books and my shopping bags. But well, Mickey took the books out of my hands then picked up the Zoro.

"Well…" I said.

"Oh come on, I'll pay for it if you're being so stingy." He said.

Honey reclaimed Usa-chan, who'd been sitting in my shopping bags. "Hey, Haruhi. Do you want any books?" I called to the girl, who'd been holding two books in her hands for a while.

"Eh? No, it's fine. I'll pay myself." She said, shaking her head quickly.

"No worries. I'm not actually paying." I waved my credit card in front of her as we headed towards the escalators.

"Forbidden to read and buy manga, but able to buy whatever you want?" Mickey asked, looking perplexed.

I snorted. "Yeah right, there's a bothersome process to go through whenever I want to use this. Really not worth it."

When we arrived at the line, I called Izumi. Wow. It was nearly two hours since I'd last called her. Time certainly flies when you're reading manga! And talking to old friends too, I guess.

"Everyone, shh." I said, holding a finger to my mouth. "Especially you, Mick."

When Izumi picked up, which wasn't even before the first ring, I said: "Izumi, hey, I'm at the book store. I have some books I'd like to buy. And no worries, they're all educational books and some novels, because I've already read the ones back home… Yes… Of course… Alright, thank you Izumi."

Then with a bright smile, even though she couldn't see it, I hung up.

"Dang, killer as usual." Mickey said quietly.

I grinned. "Of course. So tell me how everyone's doing. While we wait."

"Well," Mickey took a deep breath. He'd never been much of a muscle guy, so I took some of the books back from him. There were quite a few. "Akane's doing alright. She took your leave just as badly as Goofy did. For a few days, she was completely silent and ignored everyone and everything. It was even worse than before she met you. And nobody tried to call a club meeting or anything because nobody really knew what to do. But then one ga- I mean, club - came to challenge us so we had no choice. We beat them pretty easily and then finally held a meeting. Well obviously if we were going to continue, Akane would be the next leader, right? So she became the Pres but we never started any challenges. They came to us. We beat them. They left us alone."

"Huh. Interesting." I'd never heard what had happened after I'd left.

"Eventually, Akane decided that she wanted to finish up your plan. So she sent out a notice to all the, um, clubs and told them that she was going to establish peace."

I smiled. That was so Akane.

"Of course the other clubs didn't like it. Well, some did, but not all of them. She made up this fancy shmancy contract for all the clubs to sign. She said that our club was the top club, since we'd beaten every one of them before. And they all had to sign, saying that they would stop fighting and do productive stuff instead. She got them to sign, though we had to personally visit some of them and, you know, persuade them into doing it."

"So everyone's chill back there?"

"Yeah. Pretty chill. We're just a plain club now in high school."

"What do you guys do then?"

"We hang out. Do homework together. Goofy stopped making stuff after you left. Minnie stopped climbing every building she came across."  
"Aw, really? That was so cool though."

Mickey glanced at me with a small smile. "Seriously, Red, you have no idea how much of an influence you are in our lives."

I felt my heart melt a little. I really missed those noisy rascals back there. I smiled back, sure that there was a hint of sadness in it. "Thank you, Mickey. You guys are a big part of my life too."

"Were," He corrected. I raised my eyebrows, prompting him to continue. He nudged his head to gesture at the Host Club, being rowdy, quiet, and cheerful as usual, behind us. "These guys are now part of your life."

"Sure they are. But you guys will always have a bigger part in my heart." I smiled. Then cranked up its brightness. "Or are you suggesting, Mickey, that you know more about myself than I do? Cause you see, Mick, I really love you guys and miss you guys."

"Same," He said, glancing away. "Same."

I could feel a lump in my throat. I'd have to part with Mickey eventually. He couldn't hang around. I missed them. I missed them a lot. Akane's cold indifference and her shy kindness. Goofy's hyperness, his crazy ideas and inventions that just somehow work, and his short temper. Minnie and her sweet cooking, her gentleness, and her amazing acting. And Mickey. Now Mickey was here. But where were the others? My heart ached for them all.  
I rubbed at my eyes, trying to force the tears back.

"Mi-Mickey," I mumbled. The flood was coming but I didn't want to break down in front of the Host Club.

"I-I know," He replied. His voice was scratchy, the way it always was right before he cried. He patted my head gently. "I-I-"

"Next," Called the register lady. I kept my head bowed as I pushed the books onto the counter and presented the card to her.

Mickey and I both each took a bag of books and we left solemnly, with the Host Club trailing after. We stopped by some couches in the middle of the plaza square.

"I have to go," Mickey said.

"What were you doing here in the first place?" I asked, finally remembering what I'd been intending to ask.

"Checking out the universities here." He grinned. "I heard Ouran University is very good. Maybe I can get a scholarship."

I smiled. "Please don't. I'm not going."

"You aren't?" His eyes widened. I'd forgotten how bright those eyes were.

"No." I shook my head. "I'm thinking of studying abroad. Or getting some sort of job abroad. I don't really like it here."

"Even with little _cutesy_ boy over there?" Mickey gestured vaguely at Honey.

"Cutesy boy? What does he have to do with this?" I glanced at Honey who stared back calmly. He could probably hear us.

Mickey sighed and rolled his eyes. "Never mind. I'll be going then."

"Wait, don't you have a phone?" I asked, quickly retrieving my own flippy cell phone. "Let's exchange emails and phone numbers."

"Won't your parents-"

"Screw them." I muttered, heading to my email section. "They got me a new email account and phone. But don't worry, I've already secured my phone and email. They can't track it… I think."

"Let me see it." He held out his hand. I gave him the phone and he quickly began tapping at it. He even flipped it over and opened the case to examine where the battery was stored. I'd already checked that area for any tracker. After a while, he pulled out his own. "Okay. I got your email and number."

"You'll give it to Akane right? And Minnie?" I took back my phone.

"Not the Goofball, huh? Yeah. Alright. Oh, and I checked. It's secured." He smiled then ruffled my hair. "Good job."

"Hah, I learned from the best."

We hugged and then I watched as he walked away. Man, it sucked. Why couldn't he have stayed longer?

* * *

**3rd POV:**

"Hey, Akane. You were right. She was here… Yeah, I got her phone number and email… Don't worry… Yeah… I know… I'll tell you all about it when I get back… 'Kay, see ya."

* * *

**Finally! You guys meet a member of the gang! I've been waiting for this to happen, lol. So what did you think? Do you like Mickey or not? Want to see more of the old gang? Review please! Opinions, suggestions, and all else are greatly welcomed!**

****EDIT NOTE** *All dialogue that's _italicized like this_ means that those words are being spoken in English, see above example. Also, when Mickey calls Rika "Red" that's in English, so it's different from the Japanese word Red.***

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Blondies like hugs! Oh and new students

Thanks everyone for reading so far!

And to these following awesome peeps, thank you!

**DreamTrance14: **Yay! I'm glad you liked Mickey! Hehe, all shall be revealed... eventually.

**MokonaBookworm:** SO MUCH MANGA & ANIME! That's amazing! :D Manga is the best lol. And thanks for commenting on each chapter actually! :) It's great to get feedback and to know what's liked and not liked.

**iiAnimeLover: **Yeah! There's a whole lot of stuff coming up! Hope you'll like it!

**kingdomeheartsisawsome: **First, nice username! :D There's a reason behind the nicknames. But Mickey's Japanese name sounds like Mickey. Mikiya and Mickey. Yup. :)

**LuvPeaceCandy: **Tee hee! You're the first one to say something about Goofy and... Rika! Mmm hmm, I won't say any more. :D Thanks for reviewing!

**Quick note! All dialogue in italics means that it's spoken in English. (Forgot to put this in the last chapter. I'll update it to include this note.) Also, when Mickey called Rika "Red," it was in English.**

Oh and some characters from past chapters reappear in this. Hopefully you guys still remember them...

Here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it!

* * *

"What?" Tamaki said, mouth agape when he found that Mickey had left. "That Mickey boy left?"

"Aw, we wanted to get to know him better." The twins said with grins.

I grinned. "Come on. Aren't there other places we haven't been to yet?"

For the rest of the day, we wandered the mall, checking out some other stores that seemed vaguely interesting, like a hat store and a cell phone store. We ate lunch at the cafeteria in the mall. This time Honey treated us, with the exception of Kyoya, who never liked owing anyone anything.

We hopped on the limo later in the afternoon, dropping the twins and Haruhi off first. Then it was Kyoya, and then on our way to Honey and my house.

"Oh, hey, Honey, do you think I could keep some stuff…" I trailed off, staring at the Zoro figurine box in my hands. No, how could I ask Honey for such a favor?

"Sure!" Honey said.

I looked up and blinked at his smiling face. "What?"

"Do you want to put some of your things at my house?" He asked. "Like that figurine and some of those clothes."

"Y-Yeah, but-"

"But what?" He smiled innocently. "It's fine, Ri-chan. Our house is big anyway." I glanced at the remaining two other Host Club members. Mori just nodded.

Tamaki though was staring with wide eyes and then asked, "Why would you need to put your clothes at Honey's place? You didn't buy anything...scandalous, did you?"

I sighed but smiled. "Not scandalous, Tamaki, geez. It's just jeans and t-shirts and stuff my parents don't approve us."

"Why are your parents like that, Rika?" Honey asked, again using an innocent look.

I stared at his sweet eyes. "I'll tell you. Eventually."

"What? My daughter is hiding secrets from us?" Tamaki said. "Don't worry, Rika-chan, if you have any problems, you can always tell us."

I smiled. "Thanks, Tamaki. You're really sweet."

And off he was with stars glittering around him.

"I'll take them in if you'd like," Honey said. "I can put them in the closet."

"You'll do that? You wouldn't mind me randomly visiting you just to get some clothes?" I said with a small laugh.

"'Course not!" Honey grinned.

"Then do you want this Zoro?" I held out the figurine. "He's pretty cute huh?" He took the box, studying the green-haired swordsman.

Honey grinned, chuckling. "Sure. I'll put him on my desk."

"Okay. Thanks a bunch Honey!" I hugged him quickly then went back to my seat.

* * *

And then, when I returned home, Izumi was standing at the door, hands on her hips. She smiled at an attempt to seem kind and friendly.

"Hello, Izumi." I said, mirroring her friendly attitude.

"Hello, Rika-sama. How was your day?" Izumi followed me into the kitchen, where I set my shopping bags on the floor and reached for the fridge.

"It was fun." I pulled out the milk and fetched myself a cup. As I poured myself milk, I watched as Izumi pulled out my books. "Commoners' mall have a lot of things. Did you know that Izumi? There were so many clothing stores. It was a very interesting experience."

"And everything went well?" She asked, scanning each of my books.

"Oh yes." I put the milk back in.

"Even though you went with all boys, except for that one girl?" Izumi now had the clothes bag in her hands. She pulled out the red dress.

"That's the one I was talking about, Izumi." I said cheerily, sipping my cold milk. "What do you think?"

"I'm sure you look beautiful in it, Rika-sama." Izumi replied with a really fake smile. I had also purchased a few skirts, and they were all not pink. Then there was some underwear that Izumi quickly dismissed.

"Is Mother and Father going to return home anytime soon?" I finished my milk and went to put it in the sink.

"Your parents are busy as always, Rika-sama. But I believe your mother will be home next weekend but only for a few days."  
"Alright then. Are you done, Izumi?"

She looked up from rummaging through my bags and finally nodded with a very quiet sigh. She must have had a rough day to be so easily readable.

"I'll be in my room then. Thank you, Izumi." Then I grabbed my things and went upstairs. Reading time!

* * *

There were two transfer students, and they were both in my first class.

One was the girl I'd met on Friday, Minami Chiyo. She was in the 3rd year math class because she was apparently very smart. The guys were immediately smitten when they saw her bright smile.

"Hello, senpais!" She said cheerily. "Please take care of me!"

The other girl was a third year. "H-Hello. I'm Kurosawa Tomiko. Please take care of me." She bowed. She had dark-brown hair, tied into two pigtails. She had glasses, side bangs, and a shy smile. Really, she gave off that classic bookish girl. You know that nerd who's best friends with the main shojo character. That girl.

She seemed nice at the very least. Chiyo and Tomiko were put together, sitting to my right. Chiyo quickly took the seat closer to me and flashed me a brilliant grin.

"Senpai! I can't believe I'm in the same class as you!" She said excitedly. I swear she was making an XD face. Like, how do humans do that?

"Yeah," I replied with a smile.

Honey glanced over. "You know her, Ri-chan?"

I nodded. "I met her on the day I was kidnapped. The second time." Chiyo and Tomiko both heard, perking up at the news.

"Kidnapped?" Chiyo's mouth hung open. "Wh-What?"

"Don't worry about it, Minami-san." I smiled pleasantly.

"Yes, ma'm!" She replied with a beam.

"Minami, Hayashi, be quiet." The teacher said. We shut up after that. I waved goodbye to Chiyo after class and followed Honey and Mori to our next class.

Tomiko was in that class. I smiled at her warmly. Transferring during this time probably wasn't too fun.

She smiled back. "H-Hi," she said shyly.

"Hello. I'm Hayashi Rika." I said, bowing in greeting.

"Haninozuka Mitsukuni! But you can just call me Honey." said with a flower-producing grin. Tomiko blushed at the sight. "And this is Morinozuka Takashi. You can just call him Mori." Honey gestured at the ever-present, looming giant. Next to Mori, I probably looked as small as Honey. Well, we were the same size…

"N-Nice to me-meet you!" Tomiko said, blushing and bowing quickly.

She was in four of my classes: the first two and the last two classes. And it turned out that Chiyo was in three of my classes: first, third, and fourth.

The bell that signaled the end of class had just rung and I was chatting with Yukimura Naoko and Ishii Hanako, who'd both came from the same middle school.

"-and that one part-" Naoko said with excited eyes. We'd been talking about this series the three of us all loved.

"-yeah, that was so cool!" Hanako squealed with a grin. I nodded along with enthusiasm. It wasn't a very popular series, so this was the first time I'd met people who'd read the books too.

"Senpai!"

I turned and was immediately tackled into a hug. I stumbled but managed to keep my footing. Looking down, I saw a head of blond hair. Uh…

"Minami-san?" I said hesitantly.

She raised her head, eyes wide. Aw, she's so cute! Just like a puppy! "Senpai! You're so cute! And huggable!" She squeezed me in a death hug, nearly shoving my face into her big boobs. GAH! What is this! A manga moment?! That was a close one.

"Th-Thanks, Minami-san." I croaked out.

"Oh, just call me Chiyo, Senpai!" Chiyo said, pulling away from me with an innocent look. "Go ahead! Chiyo!"

"Chiyo." I repeated after her.

"Kya! So cute!" She squealed, hugging me again. "Oh, right. I came to ask about the Host Club. Do you know where their room is?"

"Host Club?" Two voices echoed from behind us.

Naoko and Hanako were now staring at us quite intensely.

"Oh! More senpais! Hello!" Chiyo said, grinning.

"There's Rika-senpai!" Another pair of voices. Oh dear, I've gotten quite familiar with those voices…

Arms latched around my shoulders, knocking off my balance. "Rika-senpai! Rika-senpai! Time for the Club! You can't run away this time!" said the demon twins.

"Did Kyoya send you two from the depths of Hell or something?" I asked them.

They just grinned cheekily. "Yup!"

"Don't reply like that!" I yelled with a scowl.

The three were staring. I gulped. I did not just cuss, yell, and furrow my eyebrows in front of these girls… Yup. I did.

"So cute!" Chiyo said, hugging me. Great, now there are three people clinging onto me.

"Rika-san," Yukimura said with a smile. "You're part of the Host Club?"

"Yes," I replied, as the twins rubbed their cheeks against mine.

"Get off my senpai!" Chiyo frowned, shoving the twins away. "She's mine! Cutesy Rika-senpai is mine!"

"Huh?" That was the twins and me.

She smiled and then contented herself to hugging me. It was a really one-sided hug, since it was more of a side hug.

"Whatever, let's go Rika-senpai. Kyoya-senpai will come personally if we don't get over soon." The twins grabbed my arms again.

"Wait! Wait!" This time it was Hanako, who'd finally seemed to come out of her shock. "Rika-san, what will you do there?"

"I'm hosting. Apparently," I replied.

"Th-Then, could I come?" Hanako asked.

"Of course!" I said with a smile. "I'd love it actually!"

"I want to go too!" Chiyo declared.

"Then I'll come too," Yukimura said with a smile that quickly turned rather sly. "Let me go and fetch a friend of mine first though…."

Why do I not like the sound of that?

But before I could say anything else, I was being dragged away by a certain pair of twins. "It's Music Room Number 3! Come to save me from boredom!"

* * *

In the music room, I was shoved into the dressing room and tossed a package of something. When I looked at it, it turned out to be clothes. Or, more accurately, a dress.

"What is this?" I asked, inside the curtains. It seemed the twins were still outside.

"Your outfit for the day!" They said.

"What outfit? I don't remember agreeing to cosplaying!" Pulling out the dress revealed that it looked suspiciously like a maid outfit.

"Rika, on the contract, you clearly signed that you would participate in all club activities." The demon lord had entered. "Dressing up is one of them."

"I've been tricked!" I yelled, horrified.

"Just hurry up!" cried two very impatient voices. "We want to do your hair and makeup too!"

"Hair and makeup? Good God, no."

Kyoya cleared his throat. I sighed. "Okay, fine. Fine. I won't break the contract a second time. Happy, Kyoya?"

"Thank you, Rika."

Hm. Sometimes Kyoya can sound really nice. I changed. It was a very short, black dress with an ironed on white apron, from the looks of it. It poofed out ridiculously at the ends, and the black sleeves were puffed out too. There was even a black bow at the back.

"Okay, I'm done." I pulled the curtain away. The twins were standing by a chair with a box of makeup and a comb in each hand. I sat down with a heavy sigh.

"Carry on."

"Yay!"

One hand immediately reached for my bow. Oh no you don't!

I grabbed the hand and the next one that came.

"What are you doing, Rika-senpai?" said Hikaru.

"I thought you said you'd let us do whatever we want." said Kaoru.

"I did not say that!" I said hotly. "And besides, no one gets to touch my bow." I took my red bow off quickly, slipping it on my wrist.

"But you let that Mickey boy touch it," Hikaru said mischievously.

"Yeah because it's Mickey." I replied, as they proceeded to comb my hair.

"What makes him so special?" Kaoru asked.

"I trust him with my life." I said quietly, staring at the white tiled floor. "And he's friends with my best friend who gave me this bow."

"Hm…" The twins said, now pulling at my hair. "Okay, done with the hair!"

"You can put your bow back on." Kaoru said, as they moved to the front for makeup. It was quite awkward because they were very close to me. And they kept staring at my face. Even though I know that's how it's supposed to work, it still felt very awkward.

They'd tied my hair into two ponytails. Great, as if I don't look childish enough. I slipped the red bow onto the right ponytail, securing it there tightly.

"Done!" They said. I hopped off the chair and to the full-length mirror that laid against the wall.

I saw a little girl. It was certainly not a high schooler, and the oldest would probably be a 6th grader. The ponytails, bangs, and my naturally round face made me look like a little kid. And the light makeup, which made my cheeks glow, only helped to bring out my childish features. I pouted. I hated looking like a kid. And- oh great. Pouting makes me look like a spoiled brat ready to throw a tantrum.

"Aw, Rika-senpai is so cute!" The twins cooed.

I stopped pouting just to stop looking at myself like that. The dress was short and showed off my legs. A bit too much really. Gosh, really. Why did I have to look like this?

We exited the back room to where the other host club members were waiting. The twins, Tamaki, and Kyoya were dressed in waiter outfits, while Haruhi, Honey, and Mori wore yukatas.

"Aw, Rika-senpai, you look so cute!" Haruhi said with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Haruhi." I smiled back. "You look nice too-"

"Rika-chan!" I stumbled as a particular blond attacked me with his infamous hugs. "You look so cute!" He lifted me off the ground, twirling me around while still in his crushing hug.

"T-Tamaki," I gasped. "C-Can't breath!"

He couldn't hear though, gushing about how "cute" and "pure" I looked. And how "Daddy's so happy."

I was getting really dizzy now. "He-Help!" I squeaked out. If this were a manga, my eyes would probably be mere spirals.

I felt two hands on my waist gently lift me into the air. I gasped, grabbing my dress and pulling it down. Then I was set on the ground, just as gently. When I looked up, I saw the warm eyes of Mori, smiling just a bit.

"Phew, thanks Mori." I said with a sigh, hugging him real quickly.

"Ri-chan!"

Great. Another tackle hug. If I didn't know any better, I'd start to think that all blondies have a habit of tackle-hugging the people they like. For example, Tamaki, Honey, and now even Chiyo.

Except, Honey had come from the back and now had his arms wrapped around my waist. I couldn't help the blush that crept up. Re-Really now, why did this only happen with Honey?

"H-Honey!" I said. Then I shook my head. No, I was not going to stutter and stammer like an idiot just in front of Honey. Blushing I could handle, but not stuttering.

"Hey!" He said with his usual grin as I turned around to see him.

I smiled back genuinely. His smile seemed to always lift my spirits up. All the sudden, I didn't really mind being here.

"Ri-chan's so cute like this!" Honey said, causing another light blush.

"I look like a little kid though," I made my pouty face. He giggled, poking at my puffed out cheek. "See what I mean?"

"No! It's super cute!" He hugged me again.

"Thanks," I smiled.

Then someone cleared his throat, quickly attracting attention. We all turned to see Kyoya, with his black notebook and a pen in hand. "Now the only issue left is your type, Rika."

"My type?" I said, confused.

"Yes," Tamaki said, jumping in eagerly. "You see, Kyoya is the Cool type. Honey is the Lolita-Shota type. Mori the Wild type." I giggled at that. Wild? In what way? "The twins are the Devil type, while Haruhi is the Natural type. And I am the Princely type." He then flicked his bangs in a very flashy manner.

"Princely, haha," I giggled. That sent Tamaki into his emo corner, causing a sigh from Haruhi and grins from the twins.

"With your appearance," Kyoya said, trying to bring the group back to the topic at hand. "You could be the lolita-shota type, but Honey-senpai already has that covered."

I glanced at Honey, who just sent me a flowery grin instead.

Then the ground began to shake.

"Woah!" I said, grabbing the nearest thing to steady myself. Which happened to be Honey's arm. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet, as a strange platform began to spiral out of the ground. "What is going on?"

"Oh ho ho ho!" The lights were shut off, leaving only one spotlight at the revolving platform. It stopped with another shudder, and there was a brown-haired girl sitting and drinking tea calmly, as if she did not just come out of the ground like that. "I overheard your dilemma. As the Ouran Host Club manager, I should meet this new member!"

She set her tea cup down and hopped off her platform. What? It looked like it was six feet off the ground!

Very gingerly, she walked over to me and bowed. "I am Houshakuji Renge."

"Hayashi Rika," I said with a bow. "Third year."

"Hm." Renge began to walk around me, inspecting me with an intense stare. She circled around me slowly. "If you ran into someone what would be the first thing you do?"

"Uh, say I'm sorry…?"

She frowned. "No! You must have confidence! Do that again!"

"Say I'm sorry," I said with a quiet sigh.

"And then?"

"Help the other person up."

"Hm…" Renge nodded slowly. "Perhaps a tsundere?" She turned to Kyoya, as if for confirmation. "Yes! A tsundere would be an excellent addition to the Host Club."

"I'm not a tsundere." I said, while the other members began murmuring in the background:

"What's a tsundere?" Kaoru was asking Kyoya.

"Let's see. It says here that it's a term to describe a character that acts cold or harsh on the outside but has a soft and vulnerable interior at times." Kyoya replied, probably having looked it up.

"Hm. Then Rika-senpai's not a tsundere," Hikaru said.

"Yeah, more like the opposite of a tsundere." Kaoru said and the twins started to giggle. Wow, really? But I guess that was true.

"Hey, Ri-chan, what's the opposite of a tsundere?" Honey asked, now holding Usa-chan in his arms.

"A yandere." Renge answered calmly. "What does this girl know about tsunderes? Unless you're an otaku too?"

"I am," I replied curtly, crossing my arms. "And for your information, there are actually two kinds of tsunderes. The first is the most commonly seen one, where the tsun-tsun part is default. But Type B is where the dere-dere side is default, and there's a hidden violent side that is triggerable."

"Rika-senpai, are you admitting that you have a hidden violent side?" The twins asked, snaking their arms around my waist.

"No. I'm just saying that Type A and B of tsunderes are opposites." I said, gently pushing them away. "Anyway, why do I need a type? I'm the only girl, so it's fine right?"

"Perhaps," Kyoya said, pushing his glasses up.

"I know what Rika-chan's type is!" Tamaki jumped over, a finger in the area and an excited smile on his face.

"What?" I asked. Renge just frowned, crinkling her nose ever so daintily. Dang, I didn't know how to do that.

"The perfect princess type," Tamaki said with a dramatic arm flourish. "Rika-chan is smart, beautiful, and a lady."

The twins snorted then burst out laughing. "That's the funniest joke Tono has made in a long time!" They said through their giggles.

"Oh very funny," I said, rolling my eyes. But I smiled too. I was more likely to be the evil queen type than the perfect princess type.

"That is a terrible type!" Renge suddenly said, looming over Tamaki. It seemed like thunder and lightning was behind her. "Perfect princesses _don't_ exist, you fake fool!"

"There, there," I patted Tamaki's head as he started crying and clinging onto my waist. "Anyway, can we just leave this type thing alone for now? And how am I supposed to host exactly?"

"You just talk to people." Haruhi said with a smile, prying Tamaki off of me.

"Just talk?"

"It'll be just like what you were doing in the library the last time," Kyoya said. "You'll be fine, Rika."

"Ok. Then can I please just not have a type? Not that many people know about tsunderes anyway."

"Just what qualifies you to be a Host?" Renge asked, encircling me again. "Is it your cute, childish looks?"

"Rika-senpai is very smart." Haruhi piped in, gaining the nods of agreement from Honey, Mori, and Kyoya.

"Aw, thanks, you guys." I said grinning back.

"What do you do in your free time?" Renge asked, continuing the interview.

"Read. Bake."

"Anything else?"

"Listen to music. Well, I used to play video games, practice my martial arts, and read manga. But nope! Not anymore. "

"What about your social life?"

I sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "What about it?"

"Who are your friends?"

"These guys," I gestured at the gathered Host Club. Renge frowned, stopping in her path around me.

"You'll have to give me some time to think about this." Renge said, turning away. Her platform began to spin back down. She hopped on it with ease and grace. "For now, you'll have to make do. Good bye!"

"What the hell." I muttered, as the floor closed over the hole, and she disappeared. Several of the Host Club members had left during the interview, leaving only the twins, Kyoya, and me.

"Okay, let's go now." The twins each grabbed one of my hands and led me out of the room and down the stairs.

Wait, what?

"Where are we going?" I asked, as we burst outside.

"Today, we are having club activities outside!" Hikaru told me. We stopped at a wide, grassy spot.

Oh my.

There were gorgeous cherry blossom trees above. Beautiful. I let out a quiet sigh, admiring the pretty view. The soft, pale pink color of the blossoms glowed from the sunlight. The wind tinkled the branches, letting a flurry of blossoms drift down.

"It's beautiful!" I said, throwing my arms in the air.

"It is." Haruhi agreed. There were dainty chairs around dainty tables, covered with a table cloth and fancy tea cups all set up. "The cherry blossoms here are the best."

"Everyone, get in your positions." Kyoya called out calmly.

"Positions? Do I have a position Kyoya?" I asked, running over towards him.

"Stand behind us." He replied, as everyone began to gather in a formation, with Tamaki sitting in the middle. "We'll properly introduce you."

"Okay." I said, going to stand behind Mori.

"Welcome!"

I started fidgeting. Gah! What if I messed up? I'd definitely have to check my temper. I tugged at the edge of the dress as Tamaki began introducing each of the members.

"And now, we have a new member joining our club!" Tamaki said.

"Oooh," said the girls gathered. I couldn't see them, but that was just fine.

"The Ouran Host Club has decided to add a hostess, to chat with you fine ladies about all the latest trends."

He did not just say that. There is no way I'm going to be talking about dresses and high heels and _makeup_ with frivolous girls! I can't do that! Didn't Kyoya say it'd be like the library? At the library, we talked about books!

"A brilliant student, this hostess has adorable looks and a sweet smile! Let's welcome, Hayashi Rika!"

The Host Club members stepped to the side, making way to reveal me. I stood under the mixture of intrigued, annoyed, and surprised stares. I smiled hesitantly, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. "Hello everyone! It's nice to meet you all. I look forward to spending my time with you lovely ladies." I curtsied, since it seemed more befitting with my outfit.

In response, I received a chorus of: "WAH~! So cute!"

After that, the Hosts split into their respective places. Honey, Mori, and Haruhi were together, sitting under one tree on a blanket. The twins, Tamaki, and Kyoya took some tables. Girls were everywhere: sitting, standing, talking, and laughing.

Ok. It was time to host.

* * *

**For some reason this chapter just feels rather empty.**

**So how was Renge? I actually have no idea how to write her at all. Except that she's dramatic, a crazy otaku, and... yeah. Do you guys think that was a good Renge? I hope she doesn't have to appear again, lol. **

**I'm putting up a poll on my profile page (it's so empty lol) so if you feel like it go and check it out! It's just another way to get some input. **

**Anyone remember Yukimura Naoko and Ishii Hanako? Yes? No? Please review!**

**And thank you for reading!~**


	13. Hosting: chaos and confusion

Suuu-per major thanks to **DreamTrance14** and **iiAnimeLover** for your reviews! ^_^ Now you can find out how Rika does with hosting!

And **LuvPeaceCandy**, thank you so much! More will be revealed in like... a few more chapters, lol I have it planned out and ready! :D So hope you stick around for it.

Thanks for the follows and faves!

Warning: More cussing in this chapter.

Hope you like it!

* * *

"Rika-senpai!"

I stumbled sideways as I was pulled into a hug by none other than Minami Chiyo. Really, how many times would I be hugged like this?

"Chiyo-san, please let go." I said, sitting down at my station. It was a blanket under one particularly large cherry blossom tree.

"Yes!" She sat down right next to me at my left with a big beam. "You look so cute like that, Rika-senpai! Adorable! So adorable that I could just eat you up!"

Okay. That's just a bit creepy.

I smiled as if her last line hadn't given me the chills. "Thank you, Chiyo-san. Would you like some tea?" I reached for the tea pot on a tray.

"Of course."

I poured her a cup, then handed it to her elegantly in the way I'd been taught. She smiled. "Thank you."

"Hey, Rika-san!" It was Hanako, waving and smiling happily.

"Hey, Hanako-san! Have a seat." I said with a grin. "Is Naoko-chan coming?"

Hanako sat down across from me. "Yeah, she's bringing a friend." She grinned. Uh, I did not like the sound of that. "You'll see later. So what are you supposed to do as a Host?"

"Well, would you like some tea?" I asked, leaning towards the teapot.

"Yeah, sure."

We sipped our tea and sat there quietly.

"So?" Hanako said.

"Don't you think the cherry blossoms are pretty?" Chiyo asked.

"Yes, they're very nice." Hanako replied.

"Not prettier than you two are," I said with a smile. It was an attempt at flirting the way Tamaki and the others did.

Hanako stared at me and began shaking her head. "Please don't."

"Aw! I love you too, Rika-senpai!" Chiyo yelled, hugging me again. "Kyaa~! You are so cute!"

I smiled. "Uh, thanks, Chiyo-san. You're very cute yourself."

"Rika-chan!"

The three of us turned to greet the newcomer, Naoko. She was dragging someone behind her, but I couldn't quite tell who.

"Hey, Naoko-chan!" I said with a grin.

She sat down next to Hanako, pulling her friend down to sit between her and me. I blinked. Wait, wasn't that?

"Shuji?" I said. Wait, no. What was his last name? He glanced at me, blushing. "Uh.. What was your last name?"

"Shuji's fine!" Naoko said cheerily, smacking Shuji playfully.

"It's Tsukino Shuji," said a different voice. We glanced up to see Kyoya, who was standing over us with a strangely dark look on his face. "I see you four are all new guests to the Host Club." He smiled charmingly. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"Yes." The girls said.

Shuji just sat, looking dumbfounded. He glanced at me again, biting his lip. Aw, he's so cute like that! "Hi," he said quietly.

I smiled. "Hello! Naoko-chan forced you to come huh?" I could hear Kyoya talking to the girls amiably.

"Yeah. Well, I didn't know that we were coming here." He turned away. "B-But, uh, you l-look really...nice."

I grinned and even laughed a bit. "Aw, thank you, Shuji-kun. I'm glad you came."

"Well then, Tsukino-san," Kyoya said, interrupting once more. "You are officially the Ouran Host Club's first male guest."

Shuji blushed even more, lowering his head. I looked up at Kyoya, sending him a furious glare. He stared back calmly.

"Don't do that, Kyoya." I said, while trying to silently communicate that he was going to scare away Shuji. And Kyoya wasn't too fond of losing customers, right?

"Kyoya-san," Naoko said. "You chose a very nice place today. The cherry blossoms are very beautiful."

"Yes. Beauty is as vain as these cherry blossoms." He extended an arm out to a nearby cherry blossom, attracting attention from other customers. "You will never be able to see the same shape for two days… so I made a photo album to capture such day to day beauty."

Oh my- I face palmed as Kyoya began showing off the photo album. He was immediately surrounded by girls, waving thousands of yen in his face.

"Wow." Hanako said.

The rest of us just nodded quietly in agreement.

"So Chiyo-san," I said. "How are you liking Ouran so far?'

"It's great!" She grinned. "Everything here is so nice and pretty! And everyone's nice! And this club is great! Oh! And I invited a friend to come today, but I'm not sure if she'll come."

"Who?" Naoko asked curiously.

"It's Tomiko-senpai!" Chiyo said cheerily. "She's so cute and shy!"

"Oh, the other transfer student." Shuji said quietly. He was staring at the tea in his hands. I smiled. He kind of reminded me of Mickey when I'd first found him. He looked up at me and blushed again, turning away.

Uh… Is that supposed to mean something?

Let's see. I blush when I'm either embarrassed or… uh, around Honey… Wait what? Gah! I'm so confused!

"Is something wrong, Rika-chan?" Naoko asked. Her head was tilted to the side and she looked concerned.

"Nothing, just a bit confused right now." I shook my head, when I heard a weird yelp from Chiyo.

"Tomiko-senpai! Over here!" Chiyo started waving enthusiastically. We all turned to Tomiko, who was standing by the gates to the particular garden. She was wringing her hands and biting her lip, glancing around.

Tomiko stepped over hesitantly, then quickly rushed over to us. She sat down in between Shuji and me, looking at her knees.

I scooted over to give her some more room, smiling at her warmly. "Hello! I'm glad you could come and join us!"

She looked at me hesitantly and managed a small smile. "Hi. Ha-Hayashi-san."

"You can just call me Rika, if you'd like." I said. "How are you liking Ouran, Kurosawa-san?"

Tomiko nodded. "It-It's good."

"Would you like some tea?" I asked, reaching for the pot. She nodded again. "It must be hard to transfer at this time of the year."

"It's a bit rare for two people to transfer at the same time," Hanako said speculatively. I handed Tomiko the tea.

"Yeah! It is!" Chiyo agreed.

"So why did you transfer, Chiyo-san?" I asked, sipping my own tea.

"I just moved here!" She still had that big grin. "My dad got a big promotion all of the sudden, and we had to move here for his job. And my mom was like, hey let's send Chiyo to Ouran! Since Ouran's such a good school."

"Ah." I nodded, before turning to the other transfer student. "What about you, Tomiko?'

Tomiko blushed at the sudden attention. "Well, I-I've been homeschooled for a while." She said, adjusting the school uniform. "A-And, n-now I'm h-here. I wa-wanted to come here, just for-for some ex-experience at a p-public school."

"Are you going to Ouran University then?" Naoko asked.

Tomiko shrugged. Her face turned an even darker red.

Ah, see. You blush when you're embarrassed and uncomfortable… Well, of course Shuji would be uncomfortable here. He's the only guy aside from the Host Club! That explains it!

But, from my experience with shojo manga… One most commonly blushes when around one's crush/loved one. GAH! You know what, I don't want think about it. Certainly not here!

We talked, drank tea, and ate some snacks. Hanko had to leave pretty quickly, and after that Naoko and Shuji left too. Then some other girls I didn't know came to join us. Tomiko left once they appeared, blushing madly as usual.

"I'll be going too then, Senpai." Chiyo said with a sweet smile. She hugged me briefly and was gone.

"Hello!" I said to the new girls.

"Hi," They said with excited smiles.

"So why did you join the Host Club?" One girl asked.

I shrugged. "Well… I've always liked talking to people, girls especially. So why not? Besides, the Host Club has the prettiest girls."

"Ooh." They said, giggling and smiling.

"Rika-san, you aren't… a lesbian or bi are you?" Another girl asked, eyes widening. The question sent other girls in fangirl mode, squealing and talking to each other in a manner that only they could understand.

"Last I checked," I said, smiling. "I wasn't."

"Aw, you're straight?" One said. Then gasped. "I-I didn't mean that."

I laughed. That was really unexpected. "But, um, there's always the possibility, you know. My aunt is lesbian, and I have a cousin who's bisexual."

"Then, Rika-senpai, do you have a crush on one of the Hosts?" This girl gave me a sly smile.

"Hm… Um. Maybe?" I gave them an unsure look.

"You don't know?" Several of them said, shocked.

I grinned sheepishly. "I, uh, well… Can we just not talk about this?" I turned away, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"KYA~!"

"Rika-san's blushing!"

"So cute!"

Uh. What? Okay, that was not intended, but since it had a positive effect… then whatever.

"Hey, Rika-senpai, what's your type then?"

"Yeah, yeah, all the Hosts have a type."

"Do you have one?"

"Not yet," I replied. Then I smiled. "What type do you girls think I should have?"

"I heard Rika-san was very smart," One girl said to the others.

"And she's as cute as Honey-senpai too!" Another girl squealed. Then one girl froze with a gasp. Our gazes swung to her.

"I-I know!" The girl said, waving a hand in the air. The other girls seemed to take in a deep breath in anticipation.

"What is it?" They yelled.

"Tell us, tell us!"

The one girl smiled. "Rika-senpai's type… is Kyoya-senpai and Honey-senpai's secret child!"

"EH?!" Nearly the entire club had heard. Silence settled, as everyone stopped what they were doing to stare in our direction.

"Wh-What?" I glanced around, looking frightened and surprised for sure.

"It makes perfect sense!" The girl said, standing up with sudden passion. "Rika-senpai has Honey-senpai's adorable looks! And she has Kyoya-senpai's excellent brain! See? It all works out!"

"No!" Several voices cried out. I think Tamaki's was one of them.

"That's really weird." I mumbled to myself.

"What do you think?" The girl crossed her arms triumphantly.

"No." Kyoya said.

"Y-Yeah!" Honey said, standing up from where he'd been sitting. "Th-That's really weird to imagine!"

The nearby girls cooed at how cute Honey looked. I shook my head with a sigh. Kyoya and Honey? Oh I don't even want to try imaging that. Ugh noooo! I never was one for yaoi, but it didn't mean I'd never read a yaoi manga before!

I continued chatting with the girls, trying to steer the conversation far, far away from the previous topic. We talked about the Host Club boys, the school, latest clothing trends and more until the Host Club finally ended.

"That felt like the longest hour of my life." I mumbled when the Host Club returned to Music Room 3. The guys were carrying in the tea sets in boxes. Haruhi and I had the blankets, napkins, and overall lighter material.

"You'll get used to it," Haruhi said with an encouraging smile. We set down our stuff in the storage room and walked back out.

"Aw, thanks Haruhi." I grinned and hugged Haruhi.

"Do we get a hug too?" The twins asked, popping up next to us. I turned to them with a sly grin and pulled the two in so that the three of us had Haruhi surrounded.

"Yay! Haruhi sandwich!" I said.

"What? What Haruhi sandwich?" Tamaki said, quickly dropping the box he was carrying. "I want to be part of this too! Wait! What are you two devil twins doing with my Haruhi?"

Haruhi just stood in the middle with that usual blank look of hers. Tamaki started running over, yelling insults at the twins. The twins just pulled Haruhi closer to them while grinning and chuckling evilly.

Okay, this did not go as I had expected…

I'd been aiming more for a group hug. Not, like, a battle for Haruhi. I sighed, grabbed Haruhi's hand, and, at the last moment, yanked her out of the twins' grip and off of Tamaki's path.

Tamaki crashed into the twins, sending the three to the ground.

"Ow! Tono!"

"What was that for?"

"Ow!" Tamaki cried, sitting up. He was the one sitting on the twins, so should he really be complaining?

"Guys, I was thinking more of a group hug." I said, standing over them.

"Group hug?" The trio said, staring at me blankly. The twins were lying on their backs with Tamaki still sitting on them, well mainly Hikaru.

"Want to get out of that just somewhat awkward position first?" I asked, smiling.

Tamaki stared down at Hikaru. The twins stared at Tamaki.

"Gah!" They leapt straight to their feet.

I laughed. "Okay! Let's have a group hug now!"

"A group hug?" Honey asked, popping up by my side. "Yeah! Let's have a group hug! Yay!" Mori and Kyoya came over quietly and calmly as usual.

"Group hug!" I yelled, grabbing the twins. I pushed Haruhi into the middle, which of course brought the others over. Our arms surrounded each other, and we exchanged grins.

Hm. I hadn't felt this warm, happy feeling in a while.

It was nice. And refreshing.

* * *

That evening, I lied down in bed in the dark to think before I went to sleep. Mom was coming back soon.

Sighing, I rolled over to my side where Hiro was at. "Hiro, what do you think?" The question of the evening was: blushing. Wait, no, that'd be a topic. Anyway, whatever. So why did Shuji blush a lot when around me? Well, actually, it was possible that he blushed with whomever and wherever. Except Naoko-chan, probably. They seem like childhood friends. Hee hee, maybe some love will blossom? Nah, I don't think that actually happens in real life.

And I still haven't gotten a call or an email from Mickey! Did that idiot forget or something? No, wait. The topic!

Anyway, I blush around Honey too, and I think around no one else. Is there a reason to that? Honey has always stood out to me, probably be because I admire his martial arts and other fighting skills. And he looks like a kid. And he's short like me. I can totally imagine our kids being short, kick ass fighters, and no matter how old they look, they'd look like little kids!

Oh wait.

I did not just think that.

OH NO!

GAHHHHHHHHH!

I rolled around back and forth, hugging Hiro tightly to my chest. Okay! No more thinking of this. My cheeks feel like they're on fire.

No more. I'll just go to sleep.

And, you know, pretend I never thought that. Yup. I'm totally innocent.

Wait, does that mean…

NO WAY! I won't believe it! It can't possibly happen! I haven't known him for that long either!

No. I'll go in denial.

I'll be Mamori from Eyeshield 21. Uh-huh.

…

…

I'll just go to sleep now.

I sighed. "Good night Hiro."

* * *

And so of course I didn't get that much sleep that night. But for the rest of the week, I would continue hosting. I got my own table, sat at a couch, and chatted with girls. Shuji showed up, always being dragged by Naoko. He'd blush and stammer all over the place, but would eventually leave with Naoko.

Chiyo was as energetic as usual. Every morning she'd attack me with a hug. Honey would then free me from her death grip. Chiyo would also come to the Host Club every day, but she'd rotate around the Hosts. And then later on come back to tell me her findings.

For example, on Wednesday, she went to sit at Tamaki's table. She came back half an hour later, face red and eyes shining. "He says the cheesiest thing but it sounds so sweet and genuine coming from him! He's a perfect host!" She gave me a thumbs up, slapped my back a few times, then left the Host Club.

Guys began to show up too. They came on Wednesday, looking nervous and unsure. They sat down at my place, blushing and looking at anything else but me. I just smiled at their shyness. It was quite cute actually. Eventually we would get a conversation started. We'd end up talking about the latest shows on TV, books (occasionally), school, and girls. One guy was obviously an otaku, and I really wished I could talk to him about manga. But sadly, I had to restrain myself from doing so. What a shame.

And then, on Thursday, before hosting had started, the twins said, "Hey, Rika-senpai, what are you afraid of?"

"Afraid of?" I smirked. "Of course the great Hayashi Rika isn't afraid of anything."

The twins exchanged evil grins. "Are you sure?" Then Kaoru held up something in his hands. A black, squirming, small thing.

...

Shit.

...

Then Kaoru dropped that thing he was holding. It fell to the ground. Its many legs battled the air for a while before it flipped over and began scurrying towards me.

"GYAHH!" I screamed and ran away from that thing towards the most secure place. "Mori! Help meeeeeee!"

I climbed up his back and was sitting on his shoulders in seconds. Phew.

"Aw, come on, Rika-senpai!" The twins said. They were each carrying a transparent container, and inside, I could clearly see the many things wiggling around. There were different kinds too. The small yellow ones, the big ones that I often found in my room, the black ones, and then there were those tiny jumpy ones.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" I yelled, pointing at them. I glared, turning on the intensity. "If you do, dearest twins. I hope you understand what misfortune may befall you." I smiled, while maintaining the dark aura around me.

"Oh really?" Hikaru reached for the cap.

"OOTORI KYOYA!" I screamed.

Hikaru began to unscrew the cap.

"Yes?" He came out of the storage room.

Hikaru tossed the cap to the ground.

"DAMN YOU!" I wrapped my hands around Mori's head.

Hikaru lowered the container to the ground.

"What?" Kyoya asked.

Then those creepy-crawlies were everywhere.

Crap!

Shit!

Fuck!

"GAHHH! Mori don't let them get near!" I cried, clinging to him tightly. He nodded, as those stupid, ugly spiders crawled over Mori's shoes, over the furniture, and all over the place.

"What's going on?" Haruhi asked, coming out of the back room. "Why are there spiders everywhere?" She looked up and saw the container in Hikaru's hands. She sighed.

"Spiders?" Tamaki came up next to Haruhi. "Eek! Spiders! Help, Haruhi!" He grabbed onto the girl.

"So what do I have to do with this?" Kyoya asked, crossing his arms calmly as if an eight-legged creature wasn't on his shoe. He flicked his foot calmly.

"What are you guys doing?" Honey's voice suddenly resounded through the room. He glanced at me. I had no idea what expression I had, but I absolutely hate spiders. They are the worst things ever! I can deal with a cold-blooded murderer, a speeding, armored truck, or any amount of centipedes (though I'm not particularly fond of those either) but I can not stand spiders.

"Hikaru. Kaoru." Honey said, a shadow casting over his face. "What are you guys doing?" He then began grabbing up the spiders.

"Help catch them, you guys." Haruhi said, doing the same. "You should put them back where you found them."

"Aw, come on. We were just having some fun." Hikaru said with a pout. I glared at him from my perch on Mori.

"Well you've gone overboard," Haruhi replied curtly, scooping spiders up easily. How can she do that? Isn't she at all freaked by those things?

Then I noticed something on Mori's other shoulder. Something tiny and black.

"Oh my God!" I jumped straight off of Mori's shoulder, landed on the arm of a couch, and then hopped behind Honey. "Mori! One's on Mori's shoulder!"

Mori picked up the spider on his shoulder and calmly placed it in the container. The twins were gathering up the remaining loose spiders.

"I didn't know Rika-senpai would be afraid of spiders." Haruhi said.

"Yeah. Spiders. Spiders," Hikaru waved the capped container in front of Honey and my face.

"Get it away from me!" I wrapped my arms around Honey and buried my face into his neck. "I HATE spiders!"

"We'll take these back now." The twins said and walked out of the room whistling as if I had not just been traumatized.

"Ootori Kyoya," I grumbled looking up to glare at him. "HOW DARE YOU TELL THEM!?"

Kyoya smiled. Ha, ha, he wanted to play innocent. "Tell them what?"

"Only you would know I hate spiders." I mumbled. "Stupid!"

Honey turned around with a bright smile. "It's okay. They're all gone now."

"Yeah, but their presence is still there! Now I can't sit on anything! Or eat anything! Or do anything!" I hugged Honey even tighter. "I might as well go home!"

_Bling._

I blinked. Wait that was my phone. I slowly backed away from Honey, then glanced around. No spiders right? Okay, good.

I dashed into the back room, grabbed my school bag, and ran back behind Honey. Tamaki and Mori busied themselves setting up the room. Haruhi went to make some tea. Kyoya stood by with his black notebook out.

An email!

I quickly opened it.

_"From: Yasuda Mikiya_

_Subject: Hey!_

_Hey Red! How have you been? I'm back at Red High :) I'm still considering Ouran University. Akane tells me it's a stupid idea, and that I should just go to Tokyo U or something like that. I've given her, Minnie, and the 3 Musketeers your email address. :D Don't worry, I left Goofy out. He's upset about this. Yes, I did tell him. He really misses you, Red. :P Everything is chill here. There aren't any fights anymore. It's really nice. Email me back, Captain!"_

"An email, Rika-senpai?" Kaoru's breath tickled my ear.

"From who?" Hikaru asked, placing an arm on my shoulder.

"Get away from me! You have been contaminated by spiders!" I lurched away from them, crashing instead into Honey. We fell to the floor. Why did this seem to always happen?

"Ow. Sorry Honey." I rubbed my head which had collided with Honey's chest. "You okay?" Honey was lying under me, staring at something near his head. He picked it up - my cell phone. He sat up, which left me sitting on his lap.

"Um, Honey?" I fidgeted with my fingers while watching him read the email. "C-Can you give that back?"

Honey slowly looked up. Those brown eyes of his locked on to mine. All traces of the innocent, all-smiles little boy were gone. His eyes seemed darker than usual, refusing to let me look away. I gulped. Uh-oh. Why did it seem like Honey was upset?

I could see the twins inch away slowly from my peripheral vision. Thank you, leave me alone with an upset Honey.

Honey leaned closer, bumping his forehead with mine. I blushed. "Ho-Honey?" Okay. My voice did not just squeak like that. Fine, it did. But it will never squeak like that again. Hopefully.

"Fights?" He murmured quietly. "Rika, what aren't you telling us?"

Oh no. I'm busted.

Damn it Mickey!

* * *

**Yay! Some more development on the Rika side of things!**

**And sorry to anyone who hates spiders (like me), ugh, it was so unpleasant writing about the spiders. But the chaos that occurred with it was quite amusing to write ^_^ And their various forms, but a fear/dislike of spiders is pretty common, right?**

**Has anyone see this emoticon before? It's so cute**

**(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻**

**Look! It's flipping a table in anger! **

**Anyway, review please!**

**And check out the poll on my profile page! :D It will definitely have an affect on the coming chapters. **

**Thanks for reading! **

********** (\_/)**  
(='.'=)  
(")_(") BUNNY~!  



	14. Preparations for the ball

GUESS WHAT? IT'S A DOUBLE UPDATE! YAY! Let's give hugs to all! 。(⌒∇⌒。)

Thanks to all your love, I couldn't resist and decided to put up the next chapter. Besides, who likes cliffhangers?

**LuvPeaceCandy: **Yup, yup! It's coming! :D

**the pandypandas: **Hi :) Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**iiAnimeLover: **Teehee! Yeah. Oh I never said it before, but your profile pic is soo cute :DD

**DreamTrance14**: Lol, I love your reviews! Yeah, spiders suck don't they? Don't you just hate it when you find one in your room?!

**QueenOfDarkHearts: **Well, I updated! It may be a bit anti-climatic though :P

**PhoenixOtaku: **Haha, I couldn't help the shipping. It just popped in my head when considering Rika's type.

**jasminefiregreen: **Hello! Thanks for reading! Do you like bunnies? Aren't they so cute?

**Day: **Thank you! I'm really glad you like it!

THANKS YOU SO MUCH! You guys really made my day! YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME! 8D Yeah! Anyway~ Here's the chapter! It's kinda short, but hope you like it!

* * *

"Hey, Rika-senpai! Rika-senpai!"

"What?" I turned around in the hallway to face the ever-so-enthusiastic twins. It was only second hour, and they were already so excited.

"What are you going to wear for the ball?"

"Ball?!"

"Yeah!" The twins said, grinning and making a thumbs-up at me. "Don't you know that the Host Club is having a ball next Saturday?"

It was Friday. The day after that terrible incident.

"I don't have to go right?" I asked.

"Of course you have to!" Kaoru said.

"It's part of the contract." Hikaru said in a failed attempt of a whisper. Luckily, it seemed the nearby students were too busy chatting about the ball to hear.

I rolled my eyes. Honey and Mori were standing patiently by. We had been on our way to our next class.

"You guys can design a dress then." I said, though I had a feeling I'd regret it. I could hear them cheering and high-fiving as I turned around. "However!" I spun back with a glare while pointing at them. "Make it plain. No frills, no crazy neon and super bright colors, and no high heels. Also, the skirt has to be at least to my knees and not any shorter. Nothing too revealing either, and no hoop ring skirts or whatever those creepy things are called. Oh and no corsets or weird things like that."

"Okay, okay." The twins said, each clapping an arm on my shoulder. "Don't worry, Rika-senpai. We'll make a nice dress for you." They stared at each other, silenting communicating.

"Oh, I'm _sure_ you will." I smiled at them while letting a dark aura surround me. The twins froze and began stepping away. "Because you guys are sweet, little boys who do as told, yes?"

"Yes!" Then they left in a hurry.

I sighed. "Let's go to class, Honey." I fell into step next to the said boy. He'd been giving me that stare all morning. It was a calm and observant stare, as if he was just waiting for me to give something away.

"I already told you, Honey." I said quietly, so that only he could hear. "I'll tell you eventually what it all means."

"But your 'eventually' could mean years from now." He replied back, not looking my way.

"Well it won't be years. I can at least promise you that. Give me a few weeks, Honey. I'm not ready to tell you guys yet."

"Does that mean you don't trust us?" He glanced at me. It was that look again: watchful, calm, and thoughtful.

"No." I turned away. It felt like his gaze would drill the truth out of me. "I do trust you guys. It's just that… It's risky to tell you guys."

"Doesn't Kyoya already know though?" Honey asked as we reached the classroom.

I sighed, stepping in behind him. "Not the details at least. Besides, there's nothing I can do about that. I'd rather he not know. Like I said, give me a few weeks. A month would be nice."

"How about until summer vacation then?" He turned with a small smile. Summer vacation was just about a month from now.

"Sure. Sounds good to me." I smiled back but it was fake. Tell Honey? Tell the entire Host Club? About the gang? And everything we had done? Everything I did?

There are some things I did in middle school that I'm not proud of. Things I'm ashamed of doing. Things I wish I could take back.

"You okay, Ri-chan?" Honey asked, putting back on that lolita-shota look with his flower producing grin.

"Yeah." Another fake smile.

Last year. After this, I'd be free.

* * *

"Crap!" I slammed my hands on the table I was standing by before slumping down into a nearby couch. It was after school at Music Room 3, and Haruhi was learning how to dance for the upcoming ball.

"What?" Hikaru asked, turning away from watching Haruhi practice.

"Next Saturday?" I turned to Kyoya since he knew the most. "The ball is next Saturday, right? At what time?"

"It starts at seven in the evening." Kyoya replied without looking up from his laptop. "Is there a problem?"

"Well problem one is the fact that no one told me about the ball." I said, crossing my arms. "Until the twins. And second, my mom comes home that day."  
"Woah! Your mom!" The twins turned to me.

"I don't see how that could be a problem." Kyoya said. He stopped typing whatever it was on his computer and looked up at me.

"Well," I sighed. "I don't see my mom often so I'd like to be at home with her. She'll probably be gone before Monday."

"Oh such great love for your mother!" Tamaki cried out, twirling over towards us.

"I wouldn't exactly call it love, Tamaki." I replied wryly, leaning back into the couch.

"Why not, Ri-chan?" Honey plopped down next to me. He had an entire platter of some cake with him. "Want some cake?"

"Sure! What kind?" I sat up, leaning towards what looked like a chocolate cake.

"I think it's called Black Magic Cake. It has dark chocolate in it." Honey offered me a fork and a grin.

"Dark chocolate's the best!" I dug into the cake with a smile then took my bite.

Hm…

It was pretty good, though some of the chefs for Hayashi Sweets could make a better cake. It seemed to be missing something though.

"There's not a lot of dark chocolate to it." I said, ignoring the usual, noisy antics between the twins and Tamaki. "I think if it added… some coffee cream and dark chocolate bits. Yeah, it'd add a more bitter taste to it."

"Ri-chan must be a baking genius, huh?" Honey smiled. It wasn't his usual smile. He seemed more weary of me. I sighed quietly. Maybe I should just tell Honey as soon as possible so that everything would return to normal.

"No. I've just been baking since I was young. Kimiko too, but she's not very interested in baking sweets. She thinks they're fattening."

"You should bake us some more cake, Ri-chan!" Honey grinned.

I smiled. "Okay!"

"Oi, aren't you forgetting something Rika-senpai?" Kaoru asked. I turned to him with a raised eyebrow. Did I forget something?

"Do you have any problems at home, Rika-chan?" Tamaki asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked genuinely worried.

"Not really," I shrugged. Honey was watching with an innocently curious expression. I sighed again. "So do I have to be at the ball?"

"Of course. You are part of the Host Club now." Kyoya replied.

"Hm…" I rested my cheek in my hand.

"It'll be fun, Ri-chan!" Honey said. I smiled at him. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to join the Host Club…

"Plus we always get a great deal of profit from events like these." Kyoya added nonchalantly.

Crap. "Okay. I'll be there."

* * *

The weekend passed peacefully enough. Kimiko went out with a bunch of friends. She was still pursuing that dude. What was his name? Gah, whatever. She'd known him since high school. She was probably in his friend-zone, so I thought she should just give up.

And it's not like Kimiko isn't popular. She's gotten her fair share of confessions. I don't really get why she wants that guy.

Whatever. Not my business.

I went over to Honey's house on Sunday and sparred with Chika. He was good, probably as talented as his older brother.

After that, we ate some cake at the kitchen. Chika hung around, but he didn't seem to like sweets much.

"There you are Chika!"

I turned to the doorway. Then I blinked. Huh? A younger Mori? He had Mori's black hair, short and spiky, and gray eyes.

The kid turned to me and then grinned. "Hello! I'm Morinozuka Satoshi! Nice to meet you!"

I nodded at him and smiled. "Hayashi Rika. Nice to meet you."

Satoshi looked at me then at Honey. Then he smiled, looked at me and then at Honey. "I see." He grinned and seemed to hum a tune quietly. "I see. Let's go, Chika."

"Wh-What? No wai-" Satoshi ignored Chika's protests, dragging the boy out of the room.

"Mori's younger brother?" I turned back to Honey.

"Yup."

"Wow. They look alike." Unlike Kimiko and me. We don't look like sisters at all. "Where's Mori then?"

"Kendo practice!"

We chatted like this for a while before I left. Honey had seriously put the Zoro figurine on his desk. It was cute.

And like this, another week of school began.

Monday's hosting, a crowd of boys appeared at the doors. I could hear the customers talking outside, waiting to be let in.

"Is it really okay letting boys enter the Host Club?"

"Well there's that slut Hayashi girl now, so yeah."

Slut? Really? Wow, that's stupid. Does that mean the Hosts aren't like that? But I am? So stupid. Soooooo stupid!

I was leaning against the door listening quietly. I could hear the guys' voices too.

"She is not a slut!"

"Yeah! Hayashi-dono is the cutest!"

"Prettiest!"

"And smartest girl in the school!"

"You guys are just pervs and pedos."

"Yeah, you only like her cause she looks like a kid."

"Well what about you girls who like Honey-senpai?" A guy again. I was starting to worry that a riot might break out. That'd be troublesome.

"Yeah! Honey looks as much like a kid as Hayashi-dono does!

Do I have a fan club? Hehe, that'd be cool. Except it might be troublesome too. Nah, impossible. That's way too manga-like to be true.

"What are you doing, Rika-senpai?" Haruhi asked, passing by with a tray of cookies and tea.

"Shh," I put a finger to my lip and smiled at her. Then I pointed at the door.

"She has no right to join the Host Club!"

"Yeah, she's probably trying to get our handsome Hosts."

"What a bitch."

…

That's some dirty language.

Well, I swear too, but I thought ladies of elite families would have cleaner mouths. I turned to Haruhi and saw her eyes had widened.

"Maybe we should hurry up and open the doors." She whispered.

I nodded, following after her. My position was to the left side. Time for hosting again!

"Welcome ladies! And gentlemen!"

I wonder if Kyoya's regretting having me join the Host Club…

* * *

The boys I'd heard did come and sit with me. Only Chiyo was here today, since the others had some things to do.

"Hayashi-dono!" There were three boys, all looking excited and eager. "It's an honor to meet you! I'm Okumura Atsuo, president of the Hayashi Rika Fan Club!" He had short cropped light brown hair, dark gray eyes, and seemed really tall. He bowed deeply and grinned.

What? OMG, can I predict the future now?

I smiled. "It's nice to meet you. I'm glad I get to meet you guys."

Okumura Atsuo's eyes shone, and he nodded vigorously before sitting down. "This is great!"

"Hayashi-dono, I'm Nozaki Ikuma! Vice president!" The next guy had slightly longer black hair, reaching towards his shoulders nearly. Curly strands hung over his forehead. He also had glasses that glistened quite similarly like Kyoya's and was tanner than the others. He bowed then took a seat next to the president.

"And I'm Asahara Genta! The treasurer." This boy looked younger than the previous two. He grinned. He had bright blond hair and pale green eyes.

"There's a Hayashi Rika Fan Club?" Chiyo asked, sitting next to me with her legs crossed. She smiled pleasantly. She was the only girl here now.

"Yup!" The three boys chorused.

"How come I don't know about it then?" She pouted. "After all, I'm Rika-senpai's greatest fan!" Then she hugged me.

The three boys gasped. Then the second guy, Nozaki Ikuma, bowed at Chiyo. "Please join our club then!"

"I'd love to!" Chiyo grinned. "Don't you think Rika-senpai is just soooo cute?!" She rubbed her cheek against mine, very much like the twins.

"She is!" Asahara Genta said, clasping his hands together.

"Cuter than the pictures!" Atsuo shouted.

"Definitely!" Ikuma agreed.

"Pictures?" I said. The three boys glanced at me and smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, the Hitachiin twins were selling them." Atsuo said, showing me a collection of photos. I took them, glancing through them quickly.

They were pictures of me! Pictures of me in class reading, sleeping, and staring up front. What?! Where did these pictures come from?! It wasn't just that. There was even a picture of me dressed up in that maid uniform smiling.

"Wh-What? Since when? Where?" I glanced around and found the twins, who were sitting with their guests and talking cheerily.

Those twins! I haven't even gotten my revenge on them yet for that spider thing! Hmph. I'll just add this to the list of crimes they have committed. Though I don't doubt that Kyoya had a role in this too.

"Aw, Hayashi-dono really is adorable!" Atsuo squealed.

"That flustered face!" Ikuma said.

"It's priceless!" Genta shouted. They looked like they were in heaven. Or on drugs.

"Ta-Take them back," I thrust the pictures at Atsuo who still had that blissful look on his face. "Chiyo, did you know of this?"

"Hm?" Chiyo had the same dazed-out, delighted look. "Of course, Rika-senpai. I bought every picture available. I'm going to put them in my scrap book, Rika-senpai. Would you like to see it when I'm done?"

"Uh. No thanks."

What is this? Have I somehow fallen into the realm of manga and anime? Nah. Impossible. I'll let this thing slide. For now.

I asked the boys about their club and other things. It turned out Ikuma also played soccer for the school, and Genta loved anime. That was cool.

I sighed once the room was quiet again. This was going to be a long week. And it was. The ball required preparations. Kyoya dumped a load of the work on me. I had to go through orders for food, diningware, outfits, and music. Of course we needed a live orchestra. The Host Club just couldn't settle with a CD.

And then it was Friday. We had the day off from hosting since the ball was on Saturday. Plus all the Host Club guests were busy picking out their dresses. They'd probably spend a million yen on one dress and then never wear it again.

As for me…

"Check out the dress, Rika-senpai!" The twins said, tossing me a plastic package. I caught it and pulled out the outfit within.

A simple white top, with slightly puffed out sleeves and a simple enough design. The attached black skirt had green vines and red roses crawling over it from the front left side to the back. It didn't seem too short either.

"_Nice_, twins." I grinned at them. "You finally did something good."

"So mean." The twins said, pouting and hugging me.

"Thanks!" I hugged them back. "It's nice."

* * *

Then Friday evening when I was in my room reading, I started hearing noises.

I poked my head out of my room. "Azumi?"

She was by my side in less than a minute. "Yes, Rika-sama?"

"What's with all the noise?" I could hear some clanging in the kitchen, and there were servants everywhere. Mops, rags, and buckets filled with water covered the first floor. Another maid was further down the hallway with a vacuum.

"It'd be best if you stayed in your room this evening, Rika-sama." Azumi replied with a strained smile. "We must prepare for your mother's arrival."

"Oh." I opened the door fully. "When is she coming back?"

"Tomorrow. Her plane will land at eight. She should be home by nine in the morning. You will be there to greet her, won't you?"

Why did it have to be so damn early in the morning?! Why couldn't she come home at eight in the evening?

I sighed. "Hopefully. But, um, are you guys going to clean all night?"

"Yes." Azumi nodded with another smile. She seemed really stressed out. Even if I wasn't particularly fond of her (since she was my mom's spy) I really felt like she could use a break.

"Would it help if I wasn't around?" I asked carefully.

"What do you mean, Rika-sama?" Azumi replied.

"Like, what if I stayed over at a friend's house for today?"

Azumi turned to look at the water-coated marble floors. Maids were mopping furiously. Some were on their knees cleaning. Poor people…

Finally, she sighed. "Perhaps it would help. But you haven't even had dinner yet. And who would you go to?"

"Honey." I said immediately.

She stared at me, holding my gaze. I smiled. "That will be alright, right Azumi? Their house is big. I'm sure they'd have a spare room for me to spend the night."

"Wouldn't you be inconveniencing others then?"

"That's true. But," I watched as the head maid came over, directing some to go downstairs. A butler joined the head maid, and they began talking. "I don't think I'd be able to sleep through all of this, Azumi."

"When will you return tomorrow then?" Azumi asked, following me into my room. Yes! That meant she agreed!

"When I wake up?" I offered, reaching for my duffel bag.

"But that could be eleven or twelve, Rika-sama!" Azumi said, exasperated. "You wouldn't let your mother wait that long, would you?"

"Okay. Ten-thirty?" I opened my closet.

"Kimiko-sama will be returning at ten in the morning, Rika-sama." Azumi said.

"What? Onee-san's going some where else too?"

"Yes. She's going to stay over at a friend's house too. A female friend though. And she promised to be here by ten."

"Okay then." I smiled at Azumi. "I'll be here at ten."

"Please be careful then. And try not to inconvenience others." Azumi bowed at me.

"Yes. Thank you, Azumi." I smiled softly and nodded at her. Then she left the room. It seemed that I was going to have my second impromptu sleepover with Honey.

* * *

**Yup. Sorry if it was a bit disappointing. The truth has been put off! But there's a deadline!**

**Just a question though, since I'm unsure of how to do it, when Rika does come out with the truth, should it be in a form of a detailed flashback? Or just a few snippets of middle school and Rika's narration? Basically, a long detailed story or a shorter but still more details one? It's a terrible debate here.**

**And Honey is winning the poll! No surprise there, I guess. After that is Goofy. Heehee, okay! Well the next chapter will be having a lot more of Honey! ^_^ Check out the poll on my profile page to vote!**

**Oh and is anyone curious as to how Rika looks? I can't draw so... Well there's one character from a manga I'm reading that looks a lot like how I imagined Rika to be. It's a pretty recent one, so most people probably haven't heard of it. Anyone, I'll put a few links on my profile page to pictures. **

**Review please! And thank you very much for reading!**


	15. Sleepover Part 2!

Hello! :D Thanks for all the follows and faves once again!

And of course, I LOVE YOU ALL! Thank you guys SOOO much! :D You made my day(s)!

**PhoenixOtaku: **Okay, thanks for your opinion! I'll make it long and detailed then :) Well, I guess

**LuvPeaceCandy: **Yeah! That'd be so cool if you could draw a picture! Please do! And if you upload it somewhere, like Deviantart, send me the link and I'll put it up! :DD Hehe and if you could, tell your friend I said hi and thanks for reading! And thank YOU for telling your friend. And for being here! Woo~!

**DreamTrance14:** Lol, yeah. Sleepover time! ^_^

**the pandypandas:** Thank you!

**iiAnimeLover:** Aw, do you like the Rika Fan Club? They're pretty cute.

**QueenOfDarkHearts: **Lol I can't believe you reread it completely. It's pretty long too. Here's the next chapter!

**Day:** Yeah, lol fan clubs are the best! :P Thanks for reviewing!

**Remember that there are weekly updates on _Monday_**! They probably get on at about 4 pm EST in US. So... I think that's like -5 GMT. I think...

Whatever! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!

* * *

I was let into the Haninozuka home quickly and led to the dining room where, lo and behold, Honey was eating cake.

"Have you even eaten dinner yet, Honey?" I asked, watching him finish up the cake in front of him.

"Nope!" He shook his head with a grin. "But it's okay. I'll still be able to eat dinner."

"Okay then…" I'd just have to trust his own judgement. "So, Honey. Would it be okay if I stayed the night?"

He stopped eating, turning to me with a curious look. "Sure but why?"

"My mom's coming home tomorrow." I sat down next to him. "So the house is in chaos trying to clean up and prepare. She's not even going to be here for that long. I don't get why they make such a fuss. Every time I see my mom, I have to dress up nicely too." I sighed.

"And?" Honey said, finishing up the cake. A maid whisked the dish and fork away quickly. They must be used to his cake eating too.

"It's really noisy at the house now. Even Kimiko's gone," I said.

He nodded and smiled. "You're always welcome to stay here, Ri-chan! We have spare rooms."

"Thanks, Honey." I smiled.

"Oh! It's Hayashi-san again!"

Hm? I turned in my seat and found Satoshi dragging a grumpy looking Yasuchika in. He grinned and waved. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying over today!" I replied with a grin. "We should have a sleepover! Oh and you don't have to call me Hayashi-san. Just Rika will be fine."

"How about Rika-nee?" Satoshi suggested.

"Sure!" I grinned. No one's called me that since Yuuta.

"Sleepover?" Chika asked looking bored.

I stared at Chika then at Satoshi, who just shrugged. I glanced at Honey, who was watching bemusedly. "You guys don't know what a _sleepover_ is?"

"A commoners' thing?" Chika guessed, crossing his arms.

"Apparently, since you guys don't know a thing about it." I replied. "Allow me, then, to educate you rich and over-fortunate souls! A sleepover occurs between friends. A friend or group of friends go to another friends' home. They then spend time together watching movies, eating junk food, and playing games! And then they all sleep together in one room in sleeping bags. They stay up late talking and laughing. It's SUPER fun!"

"Sounds lame," Chika said.

I turned to him with a sharp gaze, but not quite a glare. Then I smiled. "Oh really? Want to give it a try? I'm sure it'd be really fun with the Host Club."

Oh wait. Who was I to say this? This wasn't my house to begin with. I couldn't just invite the Host Club over to trash Honey's home.

"Never mind," I said with a sigh. "I'll teach you guys the glory of a sleepover some other time."

Plus if mom came back and the first news she heard was that I had a sleepover with a bunch of boys… she'd probably freak and send me back to some lame all-girls school.

"It sounds fun!" Honey said. He grinned. "Let's give it a try."

I stared at him, wondering what he was thinking. "But. Uh. Do you want to-"

"Yeah. We can invite the Host Club. They'd probably want to try it." Honey said. No, he didn't seem very happy at the idea some how. Why did his smile seem a bit… fake?

"Never mind, Honey. Forget it." I said.

"But don't you want to try it?" He tilted his head while staring at me with innocent, questioning eyes.

"Argh! Don't use that cute face against me! Anyway, it's your choice, Honey. I'd be happy enough if I got a room to sleep in, so I don't care. It was just a suggestion. Plus, we'll be seeing the Host Club Saturday evening, I don't really need to see any more of them." I nodded. Yeah, that was true enough. It'd probably be better for me if I saw less of them.

"Okay then. Let's just have a mini sleepover with us!" Honey suggested with a brighter grin. "You guys can join too!"

"Us?" Satoshi asked, pointing at himself.

"No thanks." Chika said, turning away pompously. "I don't want to be part of some stupid thing like that."

"CHIIIIIKA!" Satoshi roared, pulling out a wooden katana. "How dare you speak so rudely to your brother!" He smacked Chika's head harshly, knocking off his glasses.

"Ow! Satoshi!" Chika cried, clutching his head while tears formed in his eyes.

Wow. That's a different side.

"Satoshi." Mori stepped in, grabbing his younger brother's sword. "That's enough."

"Taka-nii!" Satoshi hugged his brother, while Honey went to his brother's side. I sat there watching, amused, as Honey rubbed Chika's head while saying soothing words.

"A-Anyway!" Chika said, interrupting the brotherly moment. "I don't want to be a part of it! N-Now I'm going!" Then he dashed out of the room. Satoshi chased after, waving his sword while shouting.

Mori glanced at the two of us, obviously confused.

"We're having a sleepover, Takashi!" Honey explained. "Do you want to join?"

"It's fine." Mori said, shaking his head.

"A sleepover with just two people?" I glanced at Honey and grinned.

"Will it work?" He asked.

"Sure! It'll definitely be a mini sleepover though!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Dinner turned out to be another dilemma. Mori left to eat with his family, leaving me behind with Honey's family.

Honey's mom wasn't around. It was just his dad and Chika. Erm…

It was alright. I tried to stay quiet and out of the way, answering any questions directed at me. I smiled and ate the "proper" way I was taught, like no elbows and what not.

After dinner, we began by watching the Hobbit. Mori and Satoshi came to join us, which meant Chika ended up watching too. Honey had a mini theater. It was a large room, like about the size of a two-car garage. There was an entire screen that stretched across one wall. It was amazing! I'd never had a theater like it. Mom and Dad weren't very fond of movies, so there wasn't one in the main house.

We ate cake after, much to Chika's disgust. Then we went and watched Zoolander. I'd seen the movie before, but the others hadn't. It seemed only Mori and Chika weren't very fond of laughing out loud. Satoshi, Honey, and I burst out laughing. Then I suggested we play a game. We moved to Honey's room.

We started off with board games. We played Monopoly, which, as usual, ended with a few disgruntled players and a few grinning ones. Mori was very lucky, and he was the richest one by the end of the game. Honey and Chika, on the other hand, kept landing on other people's places. Satoshi and I were just about in the middle, though I was getting close to the Haninozuka level. It was fun, but I guess Chika wouldn't agree.

"Okay, let's play a different kind of game." I said, after all the paper money was cleaned up.

"What kind of game?" Satoshi asked, eyes shining with excitement.

"Truth or dare?" I asked. "Or we could play Never Have I Ever, or Would You Rather. There's a lot of options."

"Huh?" Satoshi blinked.

I glanced at the other vacant and unsure faces. "Let's just play Would You Rather. It's really simple. You basically give two options and everyone has to pick one. For example, would you rather walk on hot coals for five minutes or sit in a box filled with poisonous snakes for fifteen minutes?"

"Hot coals," Chika said. "Duh."

"Same." Satoshi said. Mori nodded.

Honey nodded too. "Yeah."

I sighed. "That meant it was a bad one, cause I agree. Someone else try."

"Spiders," Mori said. "Or cockroaches."

I shuddered. "Cockroaches."

"Spiders!" Satoshi said with a grin. What? Isn't the choice obvious?

Chika frowned, looking distraught. "Uh. Um. Cockroaches then."

"Chika-chan hates spiders too!" Honey said with a grin, receiving a glare from Chika. "I wouldn't care. Cockroaches probably."

"What about you Mori?" I asked.

"Spiders." He said, in the usual monotonous way.

"Okay, your turn Chika." I said, directing everyone's attention to the boy. He frowned and fidgeted in his seat, trying to think of one.

Chika stared up for a moment. "Um, okay, how about, would you rather, uh, be able to fly or be able to pause time?" Ooh, now that's a pretty good one. Superpowers are quite popular.

"Fly!" Satoshi said. Mori nodded.

"I'd rather be able to pause time," Chika said.

"Fly." Honey grinned. "It'd be awesome!"

I shrugged. Both would be nice. If I could pause time, then I could run over to a nearby bookstore, read a ton of manga, run back to the house, unpause time, and act as if nothing had happened. "Pause time," I said.

"Ooh! I have one!" Satoshi started bouncing. "But, uh, can I just ask you, Rika-nee?"

I stared at him suspiciously. "Uh, no…? That's not very fair."

He looked crestfallen. "Aw. Fine then." Then he smiled. "Would you rather go on a date with Taka-nii or go on a date with Mitsukuni-nii?"

What kind of question is _that_?

Satoshi grinned. "It's okay. You pick first, Chika."

"What?!" Chika blushed. "Wh-Why would I- no way! I wouldn't want to go on a date with _either_ of them!"

"What? You have to pick! I'd go with Taka-nii of course. No offense, Mitsukuni-nii." Satoshi said, glancing quickly at Honey who just smiled and shook his head.

"Fine. Taka-nii then." Chika turned away.

I glanced at Honey and saw, for just a second, pain in his brown eyes. He turned to me and gave me a flowery grin. I smiled at him. Chika didn't hate Honey. I hoped Honey understood that.

"But Mori and Honey don't really have a choice," I said. Mori and Honey nodded. Satoshi grinned.

"Then I'll modify it! Taka-nii, would you rather eat cake or babysit a kid?" Satoshi asked. What kind of modification is that?

"Babysit," Mori replied.

Really? That's surprising. Cake would be much easier, but I guess kids would be fun. Satoshi nodded smugly, as if expecting that answer. "Okay. Mitsukuni-nii's turn. Would you rather be able to eat whatever cake whenever and wherever you want to-" Didn't he already have that privilege? He could even eat in the library… "-or go on a date with Rika-nee?"

Honey froze. I glanced at him. Wasn't the answer obvious? So why did it look like Honey was having a great debate in his head? But… it was a bit sad that I couldn't compete with cake though. So what was more valuable to Honey than cake?

Honey looked down, frowning. Then he turned away from me, but the reddening of his ears didn't escape my notice. "The d-date."

Woah! Woah! Is this a great moment in history? This was the very first time I heard Honey stutter.

"Your turn, Rika-nee!" Satoshi said, grinning brightly. Chika looked concerned.

"Honey, of course." I turned away too. "It'd be really fun."

"Then you guys should go on a date!" Satoshi started bouncing on the floor. I glanced at Honey, catching his gaze. I blushed and saw that he did too.

"Mitsukuni," Mori said, attracting everyone's attention immediately. "No."

Honey frowned but didn't say anything. The atmosphere turned unexpectedly tense. I glanced around. Honey and Mori were staring at each other. If this were manga, there would probably be sparks flying right now.

"There would be negative impacts, Mitsukuni. " Mori said. He closed his eyes, sighed, and then opened them again. I glanced at the clock. It was already eleven. "Can you imagine how Tamaki would react? Kyoya wouldn't be very happy either. Besides, you don't even know Rika-san that well."

Woah! Woah! A second great moment in history! This was the first time Mori said so many sentences, at least in front of me.

"Takashi," Honey said. "Are you tired?"

Mori nodded.

"That would explain it," Chika muttered. "I'm going to sleep too. Come on, Satoshi."

Honey caught my confused gaze, smiled, and said, "Takashi gets really chatty when he's tired."

Satoshi glanced at his cousin then his brother. "Eh? Oh okay. Come on, Taka-nii. Let's go home. You need to go to sleep."

Mori nodded, stood up, and nodded at Honey and me. "Good night, Mitsukuni. Good night, Rika-san." Then he smiled.

Woah!

This was one crazy night.

The three left.

"Mini sleepover time!" Honey said throwing his hands in the air.

"Yeah! So do you have a sleeping bag, Honey?" I turned to face him.

"What's that?"

"It's kind of like a futon, except the blanket is part of it and you can unzip it. And, well, basically it's like a futon." It's hard to describe a sleeping bag, okay?

"Let's just use futons then. So we sleep on the ground, huh?" He asked, heading to the closet. I got up and helped him pull out the futons.

"Yup!" After setting up the futons near the bed, Honey entered his closet to change clothes. "Hey, Honey, can I use your bathroom?"

"Go ahead!" He called from within. I grabbed my bag. Honey's bathroom was big, as expected, with golden faucets, black marble countertops, and a huge tub. Well, it didn't seem much fancier than the bathrooms in the main house. I pulled out my toothbrush.

* * *

I'd brought Hiro and hugged him to my chest, as Honey turned the lights off. I was tired. And I really did not look forward to the next day. Sure, I could handle the Host Club, but my mom could easily do unpredictable things that screwed over my life. I really didn't want that to happen.

"Hey, Rika." Honey said in a quiet voice lying next to me.

"Yeah?" I rolled over to face him, though it was hard to make out his face in the darkness. I liked it when he used my full name though, instead of anything like Ri-chan. Maybe I should tell him that…

"How do you know about sleepovers?"

"Mhm," I mumbled, closing my heavy eyes. "I used to go to my friend's house all the time for sleepovers. Even on school days."

"Which friend? The one from that school abroad?"

"Mmm."

"Sprucewell, right?"

"Yeah." My voice was just a whisper now. "I'd go to her little apartment after school and we'd do our homework together. And then we'd watch TV and eat junk food. And sometimes she'd cook for the two of us. She was a good cook. And then we'd go to sleep later. And if it wasn't a school night, we'd stay up talking. And talking. And talking. And it was...really fun."

"What's her name?"

"Anna," I said. I could feel the lump returning. I turned onto my back and swallowed. "Anna Barton."

"Do you miss them?"

"Of course."

"I want to meet them, Rika."

"Hm?" I rolled back to face him. Honey was facing me, watching carefully. He smiled softly.

"They're your good friends, aren't they, Rika? I'd like to meet them."

"They're a lot like the Host Club actually." I smiled fondly. "You'd probably like them."

"Who's that Goofy boy then? That's not his real name, is it?"

"No." I giggled. "No. It's just a nickname. Cause he used to be such a goofball. He's really good with his hands. He can build lots of cool things."

"That's cool."

"Yeah."

We were quiet for a while, then an idea popped up in my head. "Hey, Honey."

"Yeah?"

"About that Would You rather thing, were you serious?"

"About what?" He asked, scooting closer.

"Um, well." I swallowed and licked my lips. This was a crazy idea. "Would you like to go on a date?" I said in a nervous whisper.

I saw the smile spread. It was different from his usual flower-producing grin that he showed all the girls at school. This was a sweet, delightful smile. "I would love to. When?"

"How about next week? On a Saturday or Sunday," I replied. I was glad it was dark, and he couldn't see my face. It was probably bright red.

"Okay! Where?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Any suggestions?"

"How about an amusement park?"

"Okay." I grinned. That'd be fun. Plus I haven't been to an amusement park in a really long time. "Saturday then? How about at eleven in the morning then?"

"Yeah. Good night, Rika." Honey said. Then he extended his hand out.

"Good night, Honey." I wrapped one arm around Hiro, slipped my other hand into Honey's, and closed my eyes. Tomorrow would be trouble.

* * *

**3rd POV:**

Azumi knocked on Haninozuka Mitsukuni's bedroom door. She worried about what she would find inside. Why was her young mistress sleeping with the Haninozuka boy? Although she knew the ties between the Hayashi and Haninozuka families, it still troubled her that she was in such a situation.

Last night had been extremely busy. Every nook and cranny had to be dusted, cleaned, and polished. Everything had to be exactly where it belonged. The wooden floors had to glow, and the tiled floors had to shine. Every window had to be clean enough to see one's own reflection. Every rug beaten until there was nothing left. And not a single hair could be found anywhere throughout the huge mansion.

Azumi sighed quietly, rubbing her temples. It was always trouble when the Hayashi matriarch returned.

When there was still no response, Azumi knocked again, this time louder. "Rika-sama? Time to get up. Your mother will be home soon."

Inside the room, Rika blinked at the sunlight streaming in from the windows facing her. She pushed herself up with her free hand, since her right hand was linked to Honey's. Even though Honey was still asleep, breathing softly, his hand held Rika's tightly.

"I'm up, Azumi." Rika said just loud enough for the maid outside to hear.

"May I come in?" Azumi asked.

"Hang on." Rika started shaking Honey. His grip was too strong for her to just break apart from. "Honey, wake up. I have to go."

"Mm." He mumbled, turning into his pillow.

"Mitsukuni," She said gently. "Time to let go of my hand please."

Honey forced the sleepy darkness away. Rika was calling for him, so he had to wake up now. "Ugh." He sat up, rubbing his eyes. He hated having to wake up.

"Rise and shine, Mitsukuni. Good morning!" Rika smiled brightly.

Her genuine smile was enough to melt away the darkness. He smiled back. "Good morning, Rika. Why are you calling me Mitsukuni all the sudden?"

"Isn't it the magic word to get you to wake up?" Rika asked.

"It can be the magic word for everything," Honey smiled mischievously.

"What does that mean?" She stood, stretching, and then grabbed her bag.

"You should call me Mitsukuni from now on." He replied, lying back down.

"Sure, sure." Rika opened the door. Azumi was standing there with a tired smile. She had barely gotten any sleep last night.

"Did you bring a change of clothes, Rika-sama?" Azumi asked.

Rika nodded. "Good morning. And yes I did. I'll go change right now."

"Good. Then I'll wait at the front door for you, Rika-sama. Take your time, but please be at the door by nine-fifty."

"Yes. Thanks, Azumi." Rika stepped back into the room, as Azumi left. The maid had wanted to give Rika some more time with Honey. It had seemed like something important had been happening between the two.

"So what were you saying, Honey?" Rika asked, entering the bathroom.

"You should keep calling me by my first name." Honey said, still lying on the futon. He glanced over at Rika's futon and saw Hiro lying there. He smiled.

"Mitsukuni." Rika said, trying out the name. She'd already used it a few times. "But it's sooo long, Honey. Can I give you a nickname instead?"

"Sure!"

"Hm, how about Kuni-chan?"

Honey grimaced. "Uh, no. Thanks."

"Kuni-kun then?"

"Why Kuni?"

"Well Yasuchika becomes Chika. So Mitsukuni becomes Kuni. Why is your name so difficult? Okay, how about Mi-kun then?"

"Uh…"

"Never mind then. Your name is just too difficult."

A few moments later, teeth brushed, hair brushed, and face washed, Rika stepped out of the bathroom. She was wearing the red dress the twins had picked out for her at the mall. The one that had given her the chance to buy the clothes she wanted to.

It was a simple red dress. It was short-sleeved with a v-neck, came to the tops of her knees, and clung to her waist.

Honey stood up, eyes widened.

Rika's hair was down. Her red bow was tied around her wrist instead. Her black hair fell on her shoulders in a strangely elegant way.

She was beautiful.

"Why are you, uh, staring so much, Honey?" Rika asked, pulling at the dress. It seemed a bit too short for her tastes. She'd rather it be a bit longer just in case.

"You look beautiful, Rika." Honey grinned.

She blushed and turned away. "Th-Thanks, Mitsu-" Gah! For some reason, at this one moment, she just couldn't seem to say his name. "Mitsukuni!"

Honey chuckled. "You should put your hair down more, Rika."

She stared at him and smiled. "Okay." Then she scooped Hiro up and promptly tied her red bow around his neck.

"I'll be coming back, Mitsukuni." Rika said. "Um, if that's okay. I have to get my stuff. If, um, I can leave it here? Just my bag, that's all. And I'll get it. Probably later, like maybe even tomorrow. Mom wouldn't like to know that I stayed over here. Though I'm not sure if she already knows. Um, look, yeah. I'll just, uh. Here!" She thrust Hiro at Honey. "Please take care of Hiro for today!"

"Huh? What about your bow?" Honey asked.

"Mom doesn't like it. So, I'll be leaving it in your care." She smiled, though it looked pained. "Please take care of it."

Honey knew that the bow was important to Rika. He smiled. She must really trust him to leave the bow in his care.

"I'll take care of him and your bow. Thanks, Rika."

"Thank you. Mitsukuni." Rika looked relieved. She smiled. "I'll be going then."

"Okay. I'll see you tonight." Honey nodded and smiled back.

"See you!" Rika grabbed a pair of black flats and ran to the front. It was time to face her mother once again.

* * *

**This feels like such a short chapter... There was a lot of dialogue in it.**

**Poll update! Honey now has 11 votes. Wow :O I'm surprised. That's a lot... Dang. And then Goofy is second. Lol it feels more like a popularity vote at this point ^_^**

**So what do you guys think of Azumi? Like, did reading a bit of her thoughts change your view of her?  
**

**Oh, and I'm looking for a _Beta reader! _Yes! You read that correctly! Anybody out there who wants to edit this story? Although it is a bit late, seeing as there's so many chapters up already, and I write ahead in case I get swamped by homework at any given week... But, anyone out there, if you have a good understanding of English grammar and vocabulary, have read and/or watched Ouran, and has experience in writing or beta reading romance and fanfic, please PM me!**

**Thanks for reading ya'll! I'll see you guys next week! :D**

**Oh and any questions? I'd gladly do a Q & A with any characters!**


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